


Petrified Pain

by HaroldAndMaude



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/F, Fanfiction, Femslash, LGBT, Lesbian, Post-Breaking Dawn, Romance, Slow Burn, relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2019-11-04 14:06:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17899529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaroldAndMaude/pseuds/HaroldAndMaude
Summary: After years of trying to forget what lay in the past, closing your eyes to the shadows it had cast over your life, its happenings had eventually catched up with you. In an instance, you found yourself entering this other world, a world much darker than you wanted to admit, once again. Although you knew your efforts of keeping the veil of oblivion closed had become futile, you didn’t quite know what you were about to get yourself into: someone, devoid of humanity, invading your life and changing it forever.Only time can tell whether certain wounds can be healed or whether they will stay forever petrified in pain.The story takes place years after Breaking Dawn.





	1. Naivety or Bravery?

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any rights to the franchise or the appearing Twilight characters. 
> 
> Jane and Alec are kind of aged-up in this story. In my head, they're a bit younger than the Cullen children. I'm trying to find middle ground between the books, the movies and how the Twilight world appears in my mind.
> 
> Comments and the like are always appreciated! Let me know what you think!

The piercing wind was blowing heavy raindrops into your face, making you freeze, your hair wet and tangled underneath the hood of your jacket. It was already dark and as you looked out on the horizon and at the night sky, you saw countless smaller and bigger flashing lights coming from the many building and vehicles on the airport grounds that surrounded you. Despite the heavy, cold darkness, the workers operating on the landing strip seemed as busy as ever, sprinting from one place to another, transporting goods and luggage all while appearing like tiny bright dots against the pitch-black asphalt, wearing their safety vests.

Amidst all of this rush, you found yourself feeling a bit lost, standing at the bottom of a gangway that lead to a big airplane. There was a line of people entering the plane ahead of you. You felt a bit frustrated with the slow pace oft the whole boarding procedure, having spent hours at the airport by now, waiting and trying to kill time. You did not want to come here. You did not want to be here. During the hours that had passed this afternoon, it had been easier for you not to brood over what was to come. But now, thoughts of apprehension and feelings of fear slowly creeped up on you, being tired of fending them off. They trickled through to your conscious mind just as the rain did through your already soaked jacket.

Frankly, you couldn't believe you were really being here. You had worked so hard building your current life, trying to forget those times that lay in the past. It was a shame that within the blink of an eye, you found yourself flying to Italy. But you knew there was no way around it. Reluctantly, you stepped forward as some more people in front of you entered the huge plane. More and more people were finally able to enter the machine, yet with every step you took, the burden you felt on your shoulders became more noticable.

You really could not comprehend how and simply that you ended up doing this, how you had been so weak, so naive and gullible that you had indeed packed your things and came here. After all the years of trying to leave behind this other world that you wanted to erase from your memory, you found yourself diving head first in again. You grimaced at the thought of it. It was your sense of duty, your conscience, as you wondered, that made you do it, that made you come back.

Walking further up the stairs as time went by, taking on step after another, you eventually reached the uppermost one and were greeted by a woman wearing a dark blue blazer, a short skirt in the same color and a small hat on her head. She waved for you to get inside, so you did. Upon entering the plane, your face was met with warm and stuffy air and bright yellow-ish lights. You fumbled around in the pockets of your jacket and retrieved your plane ticket, searching on it the number of your seat.

  
_Nr. 46_ , _window seat_ , _row 8_ , it read.

  
A lot of people had already been seated, so you tried to pass through the aisle without bothering them as they unpacked and put away their things. It all seemed unreal, almost dream-like. Physically you were there, present, mentally you found yourself detached from what surrounded you. Lost in your thoughts and not wanting to give away your inner turmoil, you avoided making eye contact with any of the other passengers. Eventually, you reached row 8. The three adjacent seats were still empty, so you quickly made your way over to the window seat, placed your bag on the overhead compartment, rummaged around inside of it to retrieve some small things and finally sat down. After some time had passed and a bunch of other passengers got seated, the flight attendants in the front and back started their little show, explaining to everyone inside the plane what to do if an emergency case was to happen. Although you hadn't flown many times in your life before, you knew the procedure well enough in order not to have to pay attention. Your thougths were revolving around ... other things entirely anyway.

Soon after the staff finished, the pilot greeted everyone and talked about things you didn't listen to, his voice blending in with the general white noise consisting of chatter and the rumbling engine combined. You were relieved when you felt the plane start to vibrate and take off, only a few hours lying between you and your destination now. Looking out the tiny window you managed to see nothing but utter darkness, ocassionally interrupted by tiny lights, and as the plane went higher, the fog and wind outside took over, merely leaving the raindrops on the glass for you to observe. So you closed your eyes and tried to rest for what lay ahead of you.

  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The feeling of a slightly shaking plane awoke you from your restless and uncomfortable slumber. Looking drowsily outside the small window, you saw that the huge machine had landed at the airport, the rain now gone. It was dawn, through the fog you could see the sun rising and the colors of the sky blending into one another. People inside started clapping as a few mumbled words came from the speakers, announcing the arrival. You joined them, relieved at the fact that the flight had come to an end. It wasn't due to the fact that you were looking forward to what you had yet to face, it was simply because you were more than glad that the torturous trip had ended.

Sitting had gotten uncomfortable by the pass of the 45-minute-mark since the space for your feet was minimal and your seatmate hadn't been too concerned with leaving enough space for you. You didn't talk to him during the flight and instead spent most of the time listening to music while trying to snooze or staring at the small information screen on the back of the seat in front of you, observing your flight route. At some point, exhaustion had taken over and you had fallen asleep, getting at least some rest.

Now, having had landed, you really wanted to get out of here, stretch your hurting legs and and breathe in some fresh, unused italian, _tuscan_ , air. You had arrived at Florence and were mere hours away from _them_.  
That's when realisation finally hit you and the fear you tried to push away creeped up on you again, a gut-wrenching feeling spreading across your abdomen and chest. You closed your eyes and swallowed hard, trying to swallow every emotion not useful to you right now as well.

You couldn't help your eyes from darting nervously around the plane, jumping from person to person there. Most of the passengers probably went on holidays with their loved ones to have a good time in Italy, but you ... you felt repulsed by the thought of staying for more than just a few days. Hopefully, hopefully it would indeed only take a few days and you could make it out of there unscathed, heading back home soon, back to your family and friends in no time at all. Certainly, you thought, there would be a way for this to end well for you, to end well for everyone involved. There just had to be a way for you to simply return to your old life after, _if_ , all had worked out smoothly. You gulped.

It wasn't like you were coming here completely unprepared, though. You had done you fair share of mental preparation the night before departure, arranging the words you would say in your head meticulously, writing them down and reciting them to yourself while walking up and down your room. Like setting up a presentation for school, you pictured your every word and move when you would be facing them, trying to imply sound logic to your reasoning and arguments. You knew you wouldn't be able to convince with confidence, your voice neither strong nor loud enough to get your points across, your thoughts too jumbled and your poor posture not convincing. But you were prepared and would try your best. All you hoped for was for your emotions not to run away with you and for your mind to stay calm.

As you observed people rise from their seats, pack their stuff and leave the plane, you quickly gathered your things as well, grabbing your bag from the rack and hurrying to get outside. The fresh, rather chill air was a welcoming surprise, cooling down your senses and clearing your still drowsy mind. Standing at the top of some big stairs, you overlooked the area and watched some planes being moved across the airport grounds. A man behind you cleared his throat, signaling for you to step aside. You let him pass, closed your jacket because the quite cool air actually made you shiver and went down the gangway. As you followed the masses of passengers across the asphalt, shifting the weight of your bag from one shoulder to the other, you tried to stay mindful and watched your thoughts closely in order for you not to drift off again.

After 15 minutes of walking, overhearing foreign conversations and looking around, the group of people you were in eventually reached a brown brick building with two wings to its sides, tall windows and a big glass door. One after another entered and finally, so did you. From here, you would need to take a bus in order to get to Volterra. You managed to pass through the big airport halls as steadily as possible without having to ask some italian strangers for the way to the bus depot. Your ability to not get lost in new places wasn't oustanding, but despite the lack of sleep from last night you were able find the right way by reading the signs, even if it included making some detours.

Opening another big door to the outside, you found a blue bus with TOSCANA written on its sides waiting right in front of you. Parts of the white letters were speckled with grey dust and dirt but the word was still well-visible. The air outside the building smelled like smoke and gasoline, the people standing next to you not caring about smoking areas, laughing heartily. You went around and reached the front door of the bus in order to ask for the destination. The driver sitting inside was a balding, grey-haired man with tanned skin, a silver mustache and friendly wrinkles in his face, especially around his eyes. You greeted him, your voice hoarse from hours of remaining silent, and asked him if his bus would stop in Volterra, trying your best to speak slowly and clearly.

Even though you barely understood what he said because of the accent, what you gathered from him gesturing wildly and saying the world _Volterra_ several times was that, indeed, it was the correct bus for you.

''Two hours, signorina'', he said ''very good time, no people, no, uh ... traffic!'', he uttered, his brow furrowing while searching for the correct words to use. He gestured to the back of the bus, smiling to you, his upper lip disappearing under his mustache, showing you that indeed only few people would travel to Volterra at such an early hour. It was saturday and you supposed that most tourists and locals were sound asleep, in their hotel rooms or at home, tucked into their beds … unlike you.

So you stepped inside, paid a few euros for your ticket and found yourself a seat in the middle of the vehicle with no seatmate this time. You placed your bag on the empty seat, closed your eyes and just as you felt the bus start to rattle underneath, it drove off.

The bus driver turned on the radio and italian music sounded from it. You recognized one of the songs being played, watching the man sing and hum to _Lasciatemi cantare_. Italians seemed to truly be very upbeat, amiable folks and you couldn't help but smile at the small man at the steering wheel. You soon reached the outskirts of Florence and with it your first stop, one guy getting off the bus. You spent the following two hours in some kind of hibernating state, switching between trying to rest and fending off a headache to admiring the radiant scenery.  
Every 20 minutes or so the bus came to a halt, one or two people exiting, the driver occasionally announcing things in italian using his microphone. Tuscany was slowly awakening, the fields glowing orange from reflecting the already bright sun. You drove by many vineyards, gently rolling hills and small villages here and there. The colors of the grassland, the trees and the sand-colored settlements mingling and blending into each other as the scenery passed the window. If it hadn't been for your tense muscles, your nervously tapping feet and your clenched jaw, you maybe would have been able to enjoy the fact that you were basically trapped inside a beautiful landscape painting. The sun beams reaching through the big windows of the bus tried to warm your exposed skin. If it wasn't for them, you would have liked it here.

After what seemed like an eternity and likewise just the blink of an eye, your bus, now almost empty, approached a town on a hill. Big sand-colored walls surrounded the heart of the town, only being interrupted by tall towers of the same color. From afar, it looked like the town had been placed neatly on top of the deeply green hills by hand like a toy. Those hills, looking like big silky bumps, made you want to touch their long, swaying grass. It looked surreal and otherworldy, like a velvety blanket had been draped over huge mounds of soil, and on top of it, crowning the scenery, lay what could only be Volterra. That's the word that was written on the information screen in the bus. It would be its last stop for this route and everyone had to exit. There was only one person left with you inside. This was where you had to get out, too, it was your final stop.

Now that you were so close, an odd breeze of calmness enveloped you. Trapped you? You didn't know and didn't want to think further, about anything. You exhaled sharply.  
The houses within the big, bulky walls of the town wore the same sand-like color as most houses you had seen so far. Having been small just seconds before, they became bigger the closer you got. You wanted them to stay tiny, you wanted to turn around and flee and run until your lungs burned and those houses would only appear as miniscule brown dots on the horizon. But there was no alternative, no way out. There was nothing else that could have been done or had to be done, _this_ was supposed to be your utmost priority now. You gulped, struggling to maintain your facade. You would not give in, you had to stay cool. The air inside the bus felt heavy and dry, the upcoming day having heated it up to more bearable temperatures than before.

The road became more narrow and serpentine-like as you neared the town's walls. They looked like the walls of a fort or a castle but surrounded most of the town. After a few more minutes of listening to old italian pop music and praying for salvation, you reached a big, arched gate which was open and the bus passed through it with you inside, nearing a bigger plaza. The bus seemed to meander through the narrow alley, the driver clearly knowing what he did. Looking outside, you saw that the adjacent houses were decorated with red and yellow and pink flowers in pots in front of the entrances and flower boxes in front of the windows. The houses were built from big, rough stones with small, sometimes tiny windows in them. Everything here looked kind of old, ancient. You saw the grey cobblestone pavement and wondered how it had become so smooth and almost shiny. It probably had taken decades and even centuries of traffic for it to look like it looked now.

The town was simply frozen in time, you thought to yourself. One thing it had it common with _them_. You scowled.  
After a sharp bend the rattling sound of the engine underneath your feet which you had come to enjoy throughout the trip stopped abruptly. You looked around and heard the driver switch on the microphone.

''A tutti i passeggeri, sciendute dall'autobus'', the small man you had come to somehow like announced, ''benvenuti a Volterra!''.  
So you did as you were ordered, that much you understood. You grabbed your bag and swung it over your shoulder, your back bending to the left a bit because of the weight.  
You stood up, your knees feeling stiff, and walked to the back door of the vehicle. It had already been opened by the driver and you felt a warm wind coming from outside. You felt it on your skin and your hair. You were glad your clothes had dried off by now. Narrowing your eyes because of the sun flooding the plaza and readying yourself for your next step, you set foot on tuscanian, light brown stone ground, you set foot in Volterra.


	2. Astray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and the like are always appreciated! Let me know what you think!

It was bright outside, the sun already rather high in the sky, peeking through loose clouds. Its rays were illuminating the stone ground beneath your feet. After you gave yourself some time, your eyes adjusted to the brightness and you looked around. You stood in the middle of a square plaza being surrounded by large brown stone houses with equally brown and flat roofs. Their ground-floors seemed to be used as shops or cafes with big arched entrances and windows, the upper floors, though, only let little light in, similar windows to the tiny ones you had seen after first entering the town placed between the bricks. Volterra, or what you had seen of it so far, was a quaint little town, you had to admit that.

As your gaze wandered around, you heard a deep, resounding noise coming from behind you, from above - a huge bell ringing. You turned around and looked up to where the sound had originated. There, standing tall, was what seemed to be a clock tower, the clock-face looking  straight at you. You knew you had to be _there_ soon.

They had said to come by at mid morning when they had called you two days ago. Before, you hadn't believed they would ever reach out to you again. After all, it was them who had decided to leave because they had deemed their world to be a world too dark for someone like you, for a human of your age.

When they had called you two days ago, a deep and warm voice greeted you on the other end of the phone. You first hadn't recognized it, hadn't recognized who it belonged to. It had been a voice which you had shared many laughters with in past, long-forgotten times. The voice, it had sounded so familiar. Your mind and heart had been racing as you searched for a face to match the voice. A bulky figure with dark brown hair had entered your inner vision, sympathetic eyes looking at you and you staring back at them, staring back into golden eyes. That's when the dots had connected. You hadn't wanted to find out who the voice belonged to, to ever talk to one of them again, yet here you had been, speaking to them on the phone. It had been one of them, one of the Cullens - Emmett Cullen. A gasp had left your lips at the realisation. The phone talk that had followed was quick and hurried, Emmett passing the phone on to several members of his family ... his coven. They wanted, needed you to come. Well, technically ... the _others_ did. The others of ... their _kind_. Things had to be discussed, were ordered to be discussed, the Cullens said. Neither you nor they were pleased about it. But the others of their kind, the way more powerful and fearsome ones, had ordered it, not wanting to wait any longer.

As the clear voices of the family members and their instructions of where and when to come and which plane and bus to take had reached your ears, the thoughts in your mind became jumbled, memories flashing up like traffic lights at night on a busy road.

Back when they ... the Cullens had left you to ensure your safety you had been heart-broken and humiliated. It had taken you a long time to forget their world and see what reason they had to leave. Their world, it was indeed much darker than yours.

So, now, all grown-up, you had hoped they wouldn't contact you again for you knew how easily your normal life could collapse, for you knew about the dangers of being sucked into this world yet another time. They had left you to make sure you understood that there was no place for you in their world, the world of the preternatural, of myths and fables. Every other human deemed them fictional but you knew that all the gruesome stories about cold, undead and blood-drinking creatures were real.

You had been younger when the Cullens left, not understanding why they did so. Only when maturing and growing up you came to accept, came to agree with their choices. Their world was in fact a world of darkness, of cruelty and greed and destruction. The Cullens had always tried hard not to be what almost everyone else of their kin was embodying. But the risks and dangers resting on your shoulders back then had made them leave.

The huge bell inside the clock tower rang again, this time so loudly it catapulted you out of your thoughts and back into reality. You had to go. It was mid morning already, so you started walking towards a narrow alley, straying from the main touristic route. One the phone, the Cullens had instructed you to walk along the less traveled streets, to keep a low profile, just to be safe and not raise any suspicion with the locals. Carlisle, knowing the streets of Volterra better than any of the other members of his coven, had told you that starting from the big plaza, you would have to walk down a street named _Vicolo del Cai_ and then take a turn. He'd said you would pass several other alleys and would turn left and right here and there. It should take you about 15 minutes to reach your final destination if you wouldn't get lost at some point.

You did as he told you, the small alley indeed turning out to be the one Carlisle had named first. As you started walking through the streets of Volterra, you became more and more aware of its unique charm. You wondered how often the ones of the Cullens' kind living here had wandered the same streets before, how long they had inhabitated Volterra. The smell of food and coffee entered your nose when you walked along the more busy roads, people's voices sounding from open windows accompanied you while skirting the smaller alleys. If you hadn't felt so rushed or so frightened, so anxious, maybe you would have been able to look at everything more closely, to enjoy the smells that were spreading throughout the streets or to listen to people's sonorous, vivacious voices coming from some of those tiny windows. But being in the situation you were in, it all overstimulated your senses. You wanted to hide or run or fight. You didn't want to think about vacations or a savory breakfast. You just wanted to come out of here as the you that had entered Volterra. And, certainly, you wanted to come out alive.

After some more time of walking, long having had passed _Via Gramsci_ and _Via Della Anguillara_ , you decided to check the map you had printed from the internet just yesterday. You dug around in your bag and tried to find the crumbled and folded piece of paper. Your efforts were futile, your hands trembling from tension and worry. Frustrated with your inability to retrieve the map, you placed the bag that felt heavy as a stone on your hurting shoulder on the ground. You eventually found the paper in on of the bag's side pockets, unfolded it and tried to locate your position.

Orientating yourself, your realised that only a few hundred meters separated you from your designation. You wondered if they were able to hear your heartbeat already. Did they know you were coming, hear your ragged breathing? The sun was heating up the streets despite it still being early. You didn't want to start sweating and hurried to continue walking.

After a few more minutes you knew you were close, the narrow alley reaching its end. A huge, wooden and ornate door was presenting itself in front of you. Carlisle had told you about it. Someone would escort you from here. Standing there, the alley was merely wider than the door itself, the back walls of the surrounding buildings cornering you. This time, no windows faced towards where you were standing, sheltering the door from any glances of tourists and locals alike.

The door's dark brown color boldly catched your eye, standing in stark constrast to the light and clear colors tuscany had shown you today. Yet it fit the occasion perfectly. It looked ancient, even older than any of the other doors of the buildings and houses you had seen today. You didn't want to touch it. You didn't want to be here. At all. Your breathing got quicker and more shallow as you lifted your shaking hand to touch the handle. The tips of your fingers were prickling, your head felt dizzy and heavy and light at the same time and you were sure every single one of them, every _vampire_ , in town had heard your heart beating insanely fast in your chest by now. You hoped they didn't. Maybe the didn't pay attention. You knew they were busy with other things, too, things more important than you. You were only one issue on their schedule to be handled.

You pressed down on the door handle and, with quite some physical effort, opened one side of the heavy door, cold air and darkness instantly meeting your face. Lowering your gaze and trying to empty your mind, you stepped inside.


	3. Reconvention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and the like are always appreciated! Let me know what you think!

Upon entering, cool and brisk air met your heated skin, your hair standing on end. Your eyes faced total blackness. Just after a few moments, they adjusted to the dimly lit surroundings. You could only make out the outlines of your surroundings and found yourself standing inside a tunnel, at the end of it beams of sunlight greeting the cobblestone pavement on the ground. They didn't reach you. The air inside was dry but chilly and you let out a deep sigh, not having realized you were holding your breath the whole time. You heart was pounding so loudly inside your body you were surprised the sounds didn't echo with the arched brick walls.

As your eyes were gradually able to perceive more of the tunnel's insides, you felt yourself jump at the sight of a dark silhouette standing in a corner to your right. Your eyes widened with shock, fear creeping up your spine. You clenched your jaw and tried to control your breaths. This must've been the escort Carlisle had talked about.

The figure, or what you could see of it, hid in the shadows. They appeared to wear some sort of dark cloak as they seemingly blended into the dim surroundings, barely visible.

''Greetings, signora'', a deep, gravelly voiced resounded within the walls. Your whole body tensed at it. The shadowy figure seemed to be a man.

''I am here to chaperon you further'', he stated in an aloof but polite manner. You still didn't see anything else but the outline of his cloak hiding away in the corner some meters across from you. But because of the voice, velvety yet husky, low and sinister yet smooth like honey running down your throat, you immediately realized. He was one of them, one of their kind. He was a vampire. You weren't prepared for the wave of conflicting emotions almost pushing your exhausted body over the edge after realising. Sure, there was perplexity and disbelief and fear. He was a predator after all. But there was some sort of ... longing that arose, some kind of fascination.

You hadn't seen, talked to or heard one of them speak in years. Their otherworldy appearance was something that had been engraved in your memory ever since. You couldn't really see the creature, the man you were confronted with and had barely heard a few words leave his lips. But you instantly knew who, what he was. You remembered what made them seem so unmistakably non-human. Their beauty was unfathomable, their stiff yet enchanting aura drawing attention, luring prey like sirens. You were no exception to that. The figure still just standing in his spot spoke again with the voice of a dark, unearthly seducer. ''Per favore, time is fleeting, the masters await you, we don't have all day''. His italian accent was barely noticable.

You nodded, more to yourself than to him, not knowing if he even watched. Adjusting the weight of your bag on one of your shoulders, you rushed to catch up. As you went closer towards him, your eyes revealed to you his dark grey, floor-length cloak and hooded face. It made sure no one saw his features. You were glad you didn't see them, didn't see his eyes. You really weren't prepared for that yet.

Still feeling light-headed from all the adrenaline surging through your veins, flooding your body with the help of this heart of yours that didn't stop going crazy inside your chest, you wondered if it made the vampire now mere inches away thirsty. Did he want to rip open your throat and feast on your warm blood? You shouted at yourself inside of your head to stop thinking out those things, your own thoughts frightening you. You were sure, or you hoped, that the masters he had spoken of would only send someone skilled enough to control himself.

''If you'd like to follow me, per favore'', the voice reached your ears and made you tense up again.

With a swift motion a tad too fast for humans, he stepped out of the dark corner and turned around. So he knew you knew. About them. He then led on, walking along the barely visible pavement. To say he moved gracefully would have been an understatement. He seemingly hovered over the floor, causing no noise at all. Your feet, and quick breaths, were the only thing audible, you pattering behind your shady guide, hoping not to stumble in the darkness. You swallowed, trying to moisten your dry mouth and throat. By now, the tension was almost unbearable. It did heighten your senses and fend off the fatigue spreading throughout your body, so you were glad about that.

The vampire continued walking, you trying to follow his speed. He stopped right before the spot where the sunlight from outside met the darkness that had accompanied you here. From behind, you saw him put on some black gloves. You knew why they had to cover up their every inch on days like these. He then proceeded to walk ahead. You both left the tunnel, the day's brightness once again causing your eyes to narrow. Here, you could see your escort more clearly, even if only from behind. His cloak looked old in design yet very valuable, unobtrusive ornaments embroidered on it. Almost running after him to catch up with his pace, you managed to look around a bit. You had entered what seemed to be some sort of flower garden, maybe a rosery. The cobbled path you were on was outlined by colorful flowers and well-tended pink and crimson roses planted regularly in between other plants.

The man ahead of you had already reached an inconspicuous wooden door leading inside a house made from light-grey stones. He gestured you to come. As you catched up and positioned yourself next to him, trying not to look into his veiled face, he pressed down the handle of the door, opening it just a little, you taking a hurried glimpse inside. You didn't see much.

''I cannot escort you any further since I will be needed elsewhere. Giulia will be waiting for you inside'', his deep voice prickled inside your ears.

With a movement too quick for your eyes to perceive, he was gone, only leaving behind a waft of air. You exhaled and breathed in. The flowers' scents were sweetening the air. You wanted to throw up on the spot. This was it. What would happen behind those walls lay entirely in fate's hands now.

Back when the Cullens and you had still been spending time together, they had told you all about their world, their kin and other creatures to still roam the face of the earth. They had told you about the lore and the reality, about their origins, about laws, law-makers and punishments. They had told you about the cruelty of their own nature. You knew you would be facing some of the oldest, most vicious ones of their kind. Some of the most extraordinarily talented ones. Some of the most cold-blooded ones. They didn't value human lives highly.

You brushed away any obstructive thoughts racing through your already scattered mind. You had to pull yourself together, had to focus, had to be calm. Your reasoning mind had to be as unclouded as possible. Maybe they would present you with options to assess, maybe they would give you a chance. You scoffed in disbelief and pulled the door towards yourself to open it widely, stepping in and closing it behind you, your gaze never once leaving the floor. The air inside was different, not as damp. It smelled like leather and wood glaze.

Letting your eyes finally wander around, the first thing you saw was an elevator to your left. Black leather couches, fitting armchairs and end tables made of glass were scattered throughout the room. Here and there you saw book shelves made from warm, mahagony wood set into the cold stone walls. To your right, you eventually noticed a woman standing behind a wooden counter of the same warm color.

''Buon giorno, Miss, please, come closer so we can talk a bit'', she said in a friendly, modulated voice. Surprise must have been written all over you face as you approached her. She looked human, her skin bronzy and her eyes as brown as the wooden furniture inside this room. Her sophisticated clothing and flowing hair didn't distract from her humble aura.

''Good morning'', she said with a kind but reserved smile, ''I am one of the secretaries of this castle, my name is Giulia. I'm sure Narciso has mentioned me. I hope your flight was alright and everything went well.'' Flawless English was leaving her quick lips.

''Y-yes, it was fine'', your hoarse voice replying, trying hard to reciprocate the smile and process all of her words at once.

''I'm sure you must be tired, so I will try to be quick'', she smiled again. You couldn't stop yourself from wondering if she knew about them, about their nature.

''You can take the elevator across the room and go up to floor one. Someone else will meet you up there. If you feel the need to, don't hesitate to use one of the restrooms upstairs to freshen up a bit. The masters are awaiting you already but Master Aro did order for you to be well provided for first'', she told you.

You knew the name Giulia had mentioned. _Aro_. He was one of them, one of the three masters. Carlisle had spoken of him on more than one occasion, you remembered.

The secretary handed you a bottle of water and a glass. You took them, nodded thankfully in her direction, lifted the corners of your lips in another attempt to smile and went to sit down on one of the couches. After placing the bag down on the wooden floor, you felt the damage it had done. Your shoulder was throbbing from the pain. The cool leather from the couch underneath sank in a bit when you finally sat down. You didn't want to take much time, you wanted to hurry up. They were waiting and you certainly were tired of waiting. Using your shaky hands, you tried to pour some water into the glass. You couldn't help but spill some of it. The bottle was empty soon after, your thirst gone and the dryness inside your mouth had vanished. Hesitating a bit, you stood up again, leaving the bottle and glass on the end table.

Heading for the elevator and focusing your gaze straight ahead of you, you felt the maddening tension in your every muscle grow worse. Your body was heavy, your shoulder numb and aching at the same time. The breaths leaving your mouth had become shallow again and you felt your lungs crave for more air. You tried to breathe in deeply but your chest and ribcage felt as though someone had forced you into a tight corset, your heart thumping wildly, almost painfully. Stopping to stand just in inches away from the elevator's metallic doors, you saw your reflection mirrored in them, sighed heavily, tears of fright and defeat welling up in your eyes despite your attempts to fight them, and pressed the button for the doors to open. They did so immediately.

You stepped inside, breathing in stuffy elevator air, and quickly brushed away the single tear that had formed in the corner of your eye with the back of your hand. Turning around you saw Giulias gaze glued to you, a dejected look clouding the formerly kind expression on her face. It was a look of commiseration, maybe, combined with ... concern. You weren't sure.

Then the doors closed and she disappeared from your vision.


	4. The Veils start falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and the like are always appreciated! Let me know what you think!

All you were aware of now were Giulias instructions still reverberating within your head, faint music coming from inside the elevator and the erratic breaths you tried to quiet down so desperately. Your eyes darted around, not a speck of dust visible, the metallic interior polished, relfecting the fluorescent lights from above and dazzling you. On the right side of the doors, you found several buttons and pressed the one Giulia instructed you to. The elevator started moving smoothly but, nonetheless, it made you feel a bit uneasy. You stiffened your muscles and tried to brace yourself for what was to come. If not before, then surely now they must have heard, maybe even smelled you come, your body giving away your agitation, the effects of the lenghty trip and your inner turmoil.

Only few seconds passed - you counting every single one - as a quiet beeping noise signaled for the doors to open up, your eyes probably growing wide like saucers.

You impatiently spurted outside as soon as there was enough space for you and your bag to tread out. Revealing its capaciousness in front of your eyes was a second but larger reception room, almost as big as a hall with high ceilings and bright and tall floor-level windows at least three or four times as wide a you. The walls were covered with wood panelling, the soft carpet underneath your shoes of a dark, royal-green shade. On the walls hung up high were large and wide paintings of tuscan scenery similar to what you had observed during the bus ride.

Up here, the couches placed throughout the spacious room were bright, cream-colored and more pleasant-looking. The end tables, similar to the ones downstairs, had crystal vases filled with big, colorful flowers on them. You recalled seeing similar looking flowers while traversing the rosery not long ago. Placed at the center of the hall-like room was another shiny mahagony counter, yet this time no secretary was there. It didn't take long for you to detect a dark figure being stationed across from you, though. They were standing next to palatial, huge dark wooden double doors with ornaments carved into them. Just as the man that had escorted before, Narciso, they wore a dark cloak, their face hooded, only the pale nose and lips visible from the distance. You nodded towards them, mumbling ''sorry'' under your breath as you suspected they were on of _them_ and could hear you speak from afar, and hastily, almost frantically searched the hall for the restrooms Giulia had talked about. Another, less pompous door with the universally understood toilet symbols on it caught your attention, you heading straight for it, your upper body bent foward and head and eyes lowered.

Thrusting the door open with your outstretched hand and closing it in one swift, brisk motion, you exhaled with relief and were greeted by your exhausted reflection in the big mirror suspended from the wall. Two sinks made of light marble had been mounted beneath it, the golden faucets relfecting the light. There was another opened door leading to several bathroom stalls. They were black as tar. You didn't need to use them since, in wise foresight, you hadn't drunk a lot during the travel. Besides, you didn't exactly feel comfortable doing your bathroom deeds in such close proximity to vampires with heightened senses. It was silly, yes, but you felt inferior enough already.

The castle was full of predators, of beasts most likely relishing the thought of drinking you empty, down to the last drop of your blood. The surging bloodlust was the only thing that made the undead seem alive, you thought bitterly. The majority of them thought you were nothing more but cattle, prey to feed on. It made you angry. Most of the cold ones didn't have very much humanity left inside of them, you knew that. You remembered what had happened to Bella when some vampire nomads had visited Forks years ago. The shock was still entrenched deeply in your mind, your memory. Vampires didn't really value humans or humanity, empathy or compassion. The Cullen Coven, along with a few others, were the rare exception. Vampires were very territorial, you had noticed that on many occasions. But their loyalty and self-sacrificial tendencies seldom extended to humans. The Cullens, once again, fell out of alignment.

In an attempt to rid yourself of those ideas, you shook your head a few times and eventually turned on the water to rinse your face, hands and wrists in hopes of cooling down. Lifting your head to catch sight of your reflection in the mirror, you inspected the view. You mousey brown, thin hair looked ruffled, heavy-lidded eyes of a similar color were staring back at you wearily. Single droplets of water ran down your temples, a slight throbbing pain pulsating underneath your fingers as you tried to massage them. You didn't look good. But it was the least of your concerns. You quickly lifted your arms and sniffed the fabric covering your armpits. Thank god you didn't smell.

A sigh of wistfulness escaped your mouth ... but you felt some kind of eagerness arise. You were eager to get it over with. If not now, when else? Although you didn't like admitting it to yourself, you had known this day would come. _They_ had laws which had to be obeyed. There were no exceptions. _You_ would not be an exception to _their_ rules, your desperate hope and the convincing lies you had told yourself over the years collapsing like a cardhouse. Finishing your somewhat frenzied train of thought, you pressed open the door and emerged from the restroom, shifting your black bag and adjusting it on your shoulder. The cloaked person was still standing in the same spot, completely unmoving.

Okay. You swallowed down the lump in your throat, dryness spreading again. Now you had to keep on an even keel. They could not be very far away anymore, you imagined, and while skimming the room from underneath your eyelashes and blinking rapidly, your eyes catched sight of the enormous double doors yet again. Realisation crept up on you. It was very likely you would be meeting _them_ in there. Your stomach churned and gurgled and, in a silly attempt to mute the sounds, you placed the flat palm of your hand on your abdomen, trying to apply pressure. It didn't help, it only made you feel worse.

You didn't want to look hesistant or unassertive in front oft the hooded figure, so in spite of your slightly faltering movements and the inner resistance towering in front of you like a hurdle you struggled to overcome, you managed to totter towards the hooded person. While traversing the hall, you silently counted each step that closed the distance between the two of you and between you and the door some more.

 _One, two, three_.

With each count, you grew more aware of the graveness of the whole ... situation. Hadn't you been cautious enough before? Had it been suicide to come to Volterra? Had you grown weary of living? Have you ever had a realistic chance of surviving this? _Was it all your own fault_? Each count brought to your mind how _they_ were most likely already listening to your heart's every thump, only one wall separating them from you. You palms were so clammy you had trouble holding onto the bag's strap on your shoulder, your fingers failing to grip tightly.

 _Four, five, six_.

Your foot steps felt soft and weak, the carpeted floor silencing them but you knew _they_ heard. Your eyes were fixed to the ground as you tried, not without effort, to avoid bumping into something or someone. You didn't hear a thing besides the hectic sounds of your own body, your breathing, your heart and the frenzied chatter in your mind. You didn't hear _them_ , any of them.

 _Seven, eight, nine_.

The castle seemed to be completely, eerily still – _dead_ \- no footsteps echoing, not even the faintest of voices reaching your ears.

 _Ten, eleven, twelve_.

From the corners of your eyes you saw the person across the room standing still as a statue, probably sizing you up like a predator its prey, envisioning how they sank their teeth deep into your skin like a knife would cut through butter. Once again, you tried to quiet down your panting breaths.

 _Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen_.

Regret and dread and hatred, all flaring up inside you like fire, your efforts of calming yourself in vain, only acting as gasoline. It wasn’t your fault it all had to end like this. It wasn't your fault you were human and knew of their kin. It wasn't your fault the Cullens had come into your life back then. It wasn't your fault they had broken one of the laws that were of utmost priority to their kind - keeping their secret hidden to the human world. It wasn't your fault they had gotten you involved in this ... mess. Hurt welled up inside, fueling the anger from before, your forehead furrowing with wrinkles.

 _Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen_.

You were mere minutes away from meeting them again. Would you have changed a lot in their eyes during the years that had passed since you had seen them last time, since all of them had said their pained goodbyes, leaving you behind alone, lonely and forgotten? Would they still look like they did years ago?

_Nineteen, twenty, twenty-one._

And then, your hammering heart ready to jump out of your chest, your tunnel-like vision hazy yet clear as the day bright ...

_Twenty-two._

... then, just like that, when you had counted up to twenty-something, you found yourself standing in front of the obscure figure, only few meters away from the doube doors, nervously observing them.

The person's skintone, or what was visible of it, seemed to be a strange combination of olive and ashen. Their cloak appeared to be even darker than the one your escort, Narciso, had worn. The figure was a bit taller than you, their shoulders wide, you supposed it was another man, his face hardly visible.

You decided to leave your glassy stare glued to the floor, waiting for the man to speak to you. You didn’t dare say a word, standing there, wild with fear, his presence making you feel trapped like a mouse unable to escape its deathtrap.

Out of the corner of your eye you watched the figure nod, almost imperceptible to your human vision, yet because of the times spent with the Cullens, you knew how to interpret their nearly non-existent, highspeed body language. At least you hadn't missed it just now.

Somehow, you were almost … _glad_ , at least you felt relieved, that you had found someone to act as a beacon for you not to get lost in the vast halls and corridors around here. One good thing to come your way today, you pondered. Prepared to scurry after him like a weasel, your fists clenched in preparation.

''They await you'', his suave voice uttered nonchalantly, his hand swirling through the air and pointing towards the door. He didn't move an inch. You wondered what he was waiting for, standing there before him, slouching timidly.

Slowly, it dawned on you. Oh .... you understood. Wait, no ... did he ...? Would he stay here?

He stood still, rooted to his spot like an old tree. A few more seconds passed, none of you attempting to leave their spot, you not even daring to breathe. It indeed seemed like he wouldn't escort you in. Disappointment flushed your face. You had to enter alone, all by yourself, all eyes focused on you. Your eyes grew wide with terror, the knuckles of your clenched fists turning white.

You were desperate to keep up this charade, this masquerade of ... what exactly? Confidence? You knew your efforts were completely and utterly futile. But trying ... trying gave you a sense of control, of being in control over what would happen to you - another lie orchestrated within your mind only to be picked apart mere seconds after coming into existence. You were going insane here, just standing, doing nothing but sweating, breathing and waiting for the undead to end your life. So … better to get it over with now, you admitted to yourself in defeat.

You watched as the man lifted one of his firm, muscular hands, the sinews visible from underneath his chalk-like skin. He stepped forward in a graceful manner and pressed down the big metal handle of one of the double doors. The doors opened slowly, accompanied by three things happening at once. First thing was the creaking of the hinges or something similar - the only sound audible in the whole castle, it seemed, cutting the air like a knife.

The second thing were your silent prayers in hopes of not fainting on the spot.

The third thing were your nosy eyes not being fixed to the ground anymore but looking for an anchor to hold onto, only to be met by pure and dark crimson ones, now unveiled. The man that was opening the door watched you intently, his blood-red eyes sparkling with malice and anticipation. His gaze was unnatural and petrifying, the teeth glistening in the light, partially hiding behind his chalky lips that had formed into a sardonic grin.

''Good luck'', the man uttered in an undertone of scorn, a low, almost inaudible chuckle reverberating while fear tightened its vice-like grip around you.


	5. Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for my first Kudos!  
> Comments and the like are, as always, greatly appreciated! Let me know what you think!

Like a deer in headlights you stood there as the heavy, thick doors were pushed open. The pain in your jaws, hurtful from grinding your teeth, and your aching shoulder were the only things keeping you present, keeping you in the moment. The pain was the only thing that prevented you from passing out, that kept your body from shutting down because of the panic conquering your body, your muscles, your every fibre. The panic, flooding your brain, drowned your every thought and flushed away any composure, any bit of prudence left.

You watched intently as the doors were being pushed open, solely focusing on them, but you didn't hear the creaking sound anymore, your didn't hear any voices or whispers or footsteps. You didn't hear anything besides your own pulse. You not only heard it, you also felt it. You felt it on your temples, in your eyes, your burning neck and chest, your veins prepared to burst underneath your skin.

And then, without thinking, without conscious control, you stepped forward. Step by step you walked along a very short corridor, only few meters long, opening into a larger room. Your eyes, they were chained to the ground but you felt the air around you become cooler. Although your head was lowered you noticed dark figures across the room enter your blurred field of vision. You proceeded to tread on, placing first your left, then your right foot on the hard and shiny stone floor, until you had reached the adjoining room. Your neck, as if by magic, moved, your head lifted and your eyes attempted to sharpen your vision. Hesitantly, you moved forward.

''Aaahh!'', a disembodied, stilted, sing-song voice exclaimed with excitement, reaching your numb ears. Its high and cunning tone sounded surreal - a voice like none you had ever heard before. Your gaze, hazy, glanced in its direction, your form now standing in the midst of the big, dome-like chamber. You saw dark figures, clothed in black attire, some of them enveloped in cloaks. They were hard to see, hard to discern from one another through the fog clouding your sight as their dark colors seemingly merged into one.

Your body was stiff, every muscle petrified - but, although desperately trying to ignore everything else, you catched a blurred glimpse of who else was in the room with you. From the corner of your vision you saw more of _them_ ,the immortals, scattered all over the chamber, retreated to stand next to the exposed stone walls of the tall room. You were too frightened to lift your head enough to look around more but what you saw was enough. Being surrounded, cornered by those shady figures was a group of more modernly-dressed people. You knew who they were, sticking out like a sore thumb. You knew this coven - the Cullens.          

‘‘She is finally here!‘‘, the strange voice from before rejoiced.

‚‚Look, brothers, look! Veronica has finally arrived!‘‘. The voice, a high male one, sounded like the voice of a child, playful and exuberant.

And finally, the adrenaline surging through your veins did what it was supposed to do – prepare you for the upcoming _fray_. The battle wouldn’t be a real battle, though. Your senses, they came back, slowly but surely, lifting the fog. Flight was no option anymore, you knew that.

A figure, taller than you were, approached you from the dark cloud of cloaked people straight across the room, hovering like a ghost with grace you had never witnessed before. The man approached like a black panther targeting an antelope, his cloak dark as the night, more ornate and royal than any of the others you had seen today. It resembled the one of a king, you noted while trying to keep your gaze locked to the ground, without much success.

From watching his moves without meeting his eyes, you noticed his aura, aristocratic and predatory, and it invited you in, a mixture of … revulsion and allurement consuming you.

As if his eyes were magnets that attracted yours, you couldn’t help yourself but feel the need to move your head so you could see more of him than his attire.

‚‚Please escuse my discourtesy‘‘, he stated with humour in his feathery voice. ‘‘My name is Aro but I presume you already know.‘‘ He was a few meters away from you, his words sounding crystal clear now. You saw the shadows his form cast on the polished ground.

Not being able to fight the urge to look at the otherwordly creature in front of you any longer, you began to inspect who was talking to you in greater detail. Your eyes traveled across his cloak, cour fists clenching even tighter. You suspected it was specially tailored just for him and probably older than it appeared to be. Underneath he wore a shirt of the same pitch-black color. It constrasted sharply with the death-white, almost translucent skin only exposed on his fragile-looking hands and his face. You also noticed a heavy-looking, golden necklace around his neck.

As you observed him, he lifted one of his paper-like hands and his eyes met yours. They were blood-red but clouded and milky, almost distant … yet they glistened with manic delight, his brows raised high. You stared at him in awe. He bared his teeth like a feisty hyena, smiling. His face looked like a mask framed by dark, long hair which you couldn’t avert your eyes from. You wanted to but … his gaze drew you closer.

‚‚I trust you had a good travel, my dear. I hope Giulia catered to all of your needs properly. All of us‘‘, he gestured towards the people placed throughout the chamber,‘‘are happy to finally meet you!‘‘ Nothing but heavy silence reached your ears after he’d finished his words.

‘‘I trust you also know why you’re here with us, dear Veronica? I hope my friends told you‘‘, the vampire continued, tilting his head slightly towards the Cullens' direction. You nodded timidly, finally able to free yourself from his stare.

‘‘Good, very good. You know we have laws, my dear, and they must be obeyed, without exceptions‘‘, he stated nonchalantly.

‘‘You see, mia cara, we’ve all gathered here to resolve some … _things_ ‘‘, he explained in a sweet, mellow tone. ‘‘In times like these, with the rapid advancement of human technologies, our kind isn’t safe anymore, so our utmost priority lies within securing our secret‘‘. Your eyes were fixed to the marble floor again but you nodded subtly, wanting to seem agreeable, your strategy still in mind. You had practiced and arranged your every word and movement when you would be facing them the night before leaving – you hoped they would give you a chance. But right now, it was Aro’s turn to talk, and you focused on listening to every one of his words.

‘‘The hybrid child is one potential threat to our safety‘‘, he mused while pointing towards where the Cullens stood. You tossed your head and looked at were Aro was pointing with one of his boney, hauzy hands. Your eyes landed on a girl, delicate and slender, with flowing, bronze-colored hair and and angelic but stern features, her brown eyes jumping from Aro to you. Renesmee.

You eyes widened as you saw how much she’d grown, she was about a stall as you. When you left, she had still been little, and the Cullens suddenly considered it too dangerous for you to stick around any longer in the face of the upcoming encounter with them ... the _Volturi_. Back then you had felt betrayed and thought they just wanted to get rid of you but over the years you came to think differently, you came to understand. You came to deem what they had done – drag you into the world of vampires - as irresponsible.

The Volturi had never hesitated to kill, be it a child, mortal or immortal, or a teenager like you had been. They would have viewed you as nothing more than a minor inconvenience they would have disposed of. As you were surrounded by some of the world’s most dangerous predators inside their headquarters, you pondered how you had ended up here.

You simply had been an unlucky exchange student ending up at the Cullens‘ place after some teacher of Forks High School had tried to convince Carlisle and his wife – had practically begged them - to host you at their home since no other families were willing or available to take you in, almost forcing you to end your student exchange practically before it had begun. The teacher knew the Cullens had a big heart for children, having had taken in five.

Your original exchange family had turned out to be rude and inhospitable and you had wanted to leave soon after your arrival, crying your eyes out every night like the homesick pre-teen you had been.

Initially, staying at the Cullens‘ home had been nothing but a stopgap but angsty, infatuated Bella failed to keep their secret … secret. After lenghty family discussions and grave doubts especially from Rosalie and Jasper’s sides the members had eventually given in. You had already _known_ anyway. No one had been particularly fond of the idea of dragging another teenaged girl into their world but at the time, and especially after Alice and Bella and grown to like you, they had decided it wasn’t the worst option for you to stay with them.

When one of Carlisle’s nomad friends had visited once, he’d told you how ‘some people just belonged in their world‘, how they ‘would find their kin not amongst humans but amongst immortals‘. You never knew if you wanted to believe that but those words, they had stuck to you throughout the years.

The Cullen coven taught you a lot about their kind, and although they had always tried their best not to get you involved too much in the vampire world, somehow the Volturi must have gotten wind of your existence after you had lost contact. Now, they wanted to redeem themselves from their mistake of letting you live all those years. They wanted to rid themselves of the blot that was you.

Aro spoke again. ‘‘She is a threat indeed but we do not see any urgency to dispose of her since we keep a close eye on the Cullen coven. And every year or so, we _warmly_ invite them to visit Volterra so we can keep track of Renesmee’s … development. Just look how much she’s grown over the past year, remarkable! She’s such a delight!‘‘ he exclaimed in an ecstatic manner, laughing like a cackling hen.

‘‘Well, now …‘‘, his voice was suddenly low as he spoke and he grinned, looking at you, ‘‘now it is your turn, I guess.‘‘ You gulped.

‘‘But before …‘‘, he continued, ‘‘I want to know, dear Veronica, do you know about my _gift_?‘‘

‘‘Y-Yes‘‘, you said in a husky voice, almost whispering. He lifted his fragile-looking hand to hover before you. You looked at it, not wanting to touch the paper-like skin.

‘‘May I?‘‘, he asked with his enchanting voice. Hesitantly, you raised your hand and put it into his.

The stilted expression on his face changed into a more serious, stern one, his eyes wide and distant, like seeing something you couldn’t. You looked down on the ground, trying to avoid his stare, and observed his black, polished shoes contrast with the equally shiny white marble floor. Then, with a quick motion, he let go of your hand. ‘‘Hmm, interesting. Interesting indeed‘‘, he smiled again, wickedly.

‘‘Shall we come to the matter at hand, Aro?‘‘, an annoyed voice from behind him called out. You looked up to see a blonde, almost white-haired man stand up from what seemed to be one of three chunky thrones placed on an elevated platform. The man’s brows were furrowed in impatience, wearing a sullen look. Another man, with hair similar to Aro’s, was sitting still in his throne and watched the scene with bored, melancholic eyes. They were Caius and Marcus, you assumed. You had heard about them as well. Standing next to them were three other vampires, hooded and cloaked as almost everyone else in here. Two of those three appeared to be smaller than the others. You wondered what role they played within this big Coven of preternaturally-talented, immensely strong immortals.

‘‘Of course, of course, my dear brother. But we do need to know what we might lose here, don’t we?‘‘, Aro replied reassuringly. You tensed up at the word _lose_. You knew very well what he meant with that.

‘‘Since sometimes, sometimes it is not so much coincidence that brings people to us but fate‘‘, he added with an emotion unrecogizable to you in his voice, ‘‘just see what gift the vampire world has found in dear Bella, brother. I’m sure my guests will agree.‘‘

You furrowed your brow at his words. What would make them think you were destined to be part of … what exactly, their world? You had closed that chapter in your life, once and for all.

‘‘The Cullens, they have broken the law twice – on our WATCH!‘‘, Caius snarled in Aro’s direction, his eyes a fiery red. ‘‘It is inexcusable!‘‘ You heard low growls come from the Cullens' direction but kept you eyes focused ahead of you. ‘‘The human knows too much!‘‘, the blonde man spat out in disgust.

‘‘Brother, guard your tongue!‘‘, Aro interfered, making Caius snort with rage.

‘‘As we’ve all concluded and agreed on earlier, Caius, we will not impose any sort of punishent on the Cullens as they’ve explained their motives for doing what they did thorougly. Carlisle is a good friend of ours and as such he, his wife and his children should be treated like friends. This _friendship_ … is much too precious to lose, my dear brother. Who knows when we will need their aid, when they will need ours?‘‘, Aro countered sharply, deceitfulness hiding behind his words. Caius was practically boiling with fury, his agitation visible in every part of his body.

‘‘Thank you, Aro‘‘, you heard Carlisle‘s warm yet cautious voice speak.

‘‘But you, I’m afraid…‘‘, Aro turned towards you again, his voice as sweet as honey ‘‘will have to take the consequences of their deeds, my dear.‘‘ You figured that now was the right time to speak and, mustering all the strength left inside you, opened your mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by Caius‘ growling voice.

‘‘Why bother letting the human speak, Aro?‘‘, his brow was raised high, his face grimacing.

‘‘Shhh, brother, let her‘‘, the dark-haired vampire said, his hand raised in an attempt to calm the other one. The words you wanted to say still rang clearly inside your head.

‘‘I-I … I know of your laws, Aro‘‘, you stuttered, feeling strange about saying his name out loud. ‘‘B-but I do think I have a right to defend myself in this case since i-it concerns my survival‘‘, you managed to utter as clearly as possible. You heard Caius sigh audibly.

‘‘I never had the intention to r-reveal your secret. In fact, I have never spoken about it to anyone and I do not inte-‘‘

‘‘DO NOT try to argue, human‘‘, you words were cut off sharply by Caius‘. ‘‘Consider yourself lucky we haven’t ripped off your head by now!‘‘, he grumbled through gritted teeth. You jumped and heard hisses coming from the Cullen’s direction.

‘‘I’m sorry for my brother‘s temper but you see, cara mia, I don’t think there’s much to discuss here. You know the two options you are presented with, either you choose death or you choose to become one of us‘‘, Aro stated matter-of-factly.‘‘You have had plenty of time to put your matters right.‘‘

Your heart sank. They wouldn’t even let you speak, let alone explain your point of view, they wouldn’t give you a chance. Your eyes darted around the room, wandering over dark and cloaked figures and marble pillars to stop when you catched sight of Carlisle. His warm, golden eyes looked at you with a sadness in them you had never seen before. You abruptly averted your gaze with a quick nod and hoped he, they, would take it as an apology for what you were about to do. You fought hard to fend off the tears welling up in your eyes and spoke again, this time clear as the day.

‘‘If that’s the case and you have already made up your mind about me then I will choose the former‘‘. You heard Esme cry out at your words. Within half of a second, several growls and gnarls followed and from the corner of your eyes you saw shadowy figures gathering around where the Cullens were standing. The sounds were terrifying. With panic in your eyes, you looked up to meet a pair of red ones straight across from you. They were crimson like most of the others in the room but they were full of pain, full of shock. They were big and young but reflected the anguish and tedium of centuries. They were red like wine but unlike Aro’s, they were deep as the sea. They were clear as glass and helpless. They bore into your eyes and yours bore into them, piercing your every fibre like glazing spears. You felt the pain in them, felt the heat they had kindled inside you. Your legs gave in and you landed on the marble floor with a loud thump, waves of agony consuming you.


	6. Change of Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments and Kudos! Any feedback is greatly appreciated! :-)

You heard your own screams resounding within the big chamber. They were shrill and sounded almost animalistic, coming from somewhere deep within your body. You couldn't contain them even if you had tried. The pain that you had seen in those eyes, it seemed like it had been passed onto you … was that even possible? You faintly noticed the throbbing side of your head from your previous fall to the hard floor but it was overshadowed by the burning sensation swallowing you whole.

Why would they do this? Why toy with you like that? You didn't understand why no one in the room made them stop.

You wanted to beg them to end it, to just kill you already - but you couldn't move your mouth or tongue properly. Nothing but cries of agony left your lungs, tears streaming down your overheated skin while you were writhing on the cold, hard floor.

What may very well just have been seconds dragged and became minutes to you, hours. The pain came in waves, in tides, ebbing and flowing but not once ceasing completely. Everything felt like it was set on fire, like YOU were set on fire alive. Between your hoarse screeches your burning lungs sucked in as much air as possible, your throat hurting with every breath.

For a long time, at least it seemed endless to you, you could hear nothing but yourself, nothing but the odd, sometimes shrieking, sometimes growling noises coming from your body. Your ears were already starting to ring when you perceived ... voices. You took in some of the background noises, they were faint but they were there, becoming less and less distant.

You heard low growls, roars, yelling people, pleading voices. You recognized them. The Cullens. You couldn't distinguish the coven members from each other and you couldn't hear what they were saying. But maybe they woud help you and make the pain stop. They had to do something or else you feared your body would shut down from the pain.

You barely felt your fingernails dig into the flesh of your palms, your fists clenched so tightly. Your screams became more throaty, more tormented, the pain didn't wear off as you had hoped. You now clearly perceived the Cullens‘ screams accompanying yours but still, no one stopped the pain.

What the hell was happening? Why didn't anyone DO anything? Maybe … maybe the Volturi were enjoying your torture.

You picked up a different sound, closer, more calm and collected. Through your anguished cries you had a hard time understanding the words being spoken, they drowned out all else. But you focused, hard, with all your might, all your will - you didn’t want to succumb to the excruciating pain. You harkened intently.

Finally, words more clear than before reached your ears while the fire devoured you, still. ‘‘Jane?‘‘, a male voice spoke, high and feathery. Aro.

It didn’t seem to change a thing about the agony you were in. ‘‘ Jane, dearest?‘‘, he asked, almost scoldingly. Nothing happened. Who was this Jane? Was she responsible for this hell? Did she make you feel like this? … were it her eyes that you saw last before the pain had started to devour you?

You squirmed and squealed, praying to whatever gods there were to end this nightmare, even if it meant this Jane would have to kill you in the process.

‘‘Jane, end it!‘‘, you heard Aro‘s order directed at her. The pain seared your every fibre, potent as ever, forceful like a wildfire that extinguished all of life. It extinguished all of the will to live left inside you. You only wanted the pain to go away.

‘‘Sister?‘‘, a second male interrupted, his voice more gentle and soft, more juvenile than Aro‘s.

The blazing sensation, the pain, ceased, finally, and you slumped down onto the hard and cold floor, your body loosening its cramped position. The cool feeling of the marble ground soothed your heated, irritated skin. As you noticed the damage your fingernails had done to your hands and the aching, throbbing pain on one side of your head spread you heaved yourself to lay on your side, facing away from the others, and curled up into a small ball, whimpering silently. A warm fluid ran down your forehead and temples and across your eyelids. You didn’t mind it, you didn’t care if it was blood. The leeches here would kill you anyway, you would get the short end of the stick anyway. They would end your life, you would die in here. You actually welcomed the thought if it meant it would spare you the pain from before.

Your ragged, rattling breathing quieted down a bit. Your body, your muscles were sore, like you had run marathon, and exhaustion was close to knocking you out. You didn’t perceive any voices, any sounds, the Cullens‘ yells having died down. It was dead quiet and you started to drop off, the darkness from behind your closed eyelids wrapping you up comfortably.

But Aro’s voice rudely catapulted you back from your almost-slumber, your eyebrows twitching at the noise.

''Jane, my dearest? What has gotten into you?'' Aro sounded genuinely surprised. Wouldn’t immortality slowly but surely rob life of any moments of surprise?

Jane didn’t answer but Aro persisted.

''I am aware you _like_ inflicting your sense of … duty and morality on our culprits but this human here really isn’t at fault, is she, my friends?‘‘, his was tone sneery, the last words most likely directed at the Cullen coven. Jane remained silent. You hoped she would give any explanation but not a single word seemed to leave her lips.

‘‘I’m sure you’re eager to resolve our issues, my dear child, but your disregard for my orders has me genuinely worried", he sighed and you couldn’t determine if his sorrow was real or not.

There was a part of you, the brave, reckless one, that wanted to turn around to fix your eyes on Jane‘s, making her spit out the explanation you so longed for _somehow_ before you would be executed. The other part, though, was quiet, scared, a sense of dread crept up on it at the mere thought of locking eyes with Jane once more. This part had surely won now, after all that you had just experienced, and you were simply too drained to move, to put up your mask of confidence once again. You felt empty, ready to … be ended. So you lay still, eyes squeezed shut, trying to ignore the pain in your head and palms, waiting for _them_ to come at you while fighting exhaustion.

You still didn’t move when you heard a collective murmur go through the crowd of immortals scattered throughout the room. You could have sworn that, even behind closed eyes, you saw – or sensed – a shadow scurry along your line of darkened vision and towards the direction of the door, but all happened very quickly, so you weren’t sure if you could trust your senses on this. You didn’t dare take but a small glimpse, though. Your jaws were clenched, you were waiting for death to take you away. Hopefully they’d make it quick now that they had had their fair share of fun with you.

Nothing seemed to happen, though, for several more seconds, and only one thing catched your attention once more – the quiet, susurrant murmur filling the air, too light for you to understand. Was there something … going on? You fought hard not to drift off to sleep, pinching your forearm.

‘‘NO, Aro!‘‘As if to answer your silent question, Edward yelled so loudly you winced, your eyes growing wide.

‘‘You will not do this to her, you will not keep her here!‘‘, he spat out and even though you didn’t see anything but the shiny marble floor you were laying on, you knew he was furious. The murmurs grew louder and transformed into agitated chatters. What the hell?

‘‘Edward, my friend, calm yourself, please. This doesn’t seem to be any of your or your _family’s_ concerns anymore. As far as I know, you disposed of the girl years ago. So I advise you to keep this to yourself. No one here wants any unnecessary turmoil, do we?‘‘, Aro remarked scornfully. ‘‘We will need time to … _reconsider_ our options. But isn’t it that unscheduled happenings always bring into our lives some sort of much needed _change_? Immortality can be quite tedious‘‘, the pitch of his voice was oddly shrill at the last of his words. You heard Edward growl and some of his coven members talking to him in attempts to calm him. What was happening? What did the Cullens‘ mind reader hear that upset him like this?

‘‘Surely you must agree, Edward. So please, all we ask from you is to be open-minded and maintain discretion since, for now, it is best for everyone involved‘‘, Aro added. ‘‘We will clarify matters when the time is right, until then, I’m afraid, Veronica’s case will have to be _delayed_.‘‘ When Aro spoke the last part of the sentence, your brows furrowed, dread creeping up your spine. What? What on earth was going on? Why would they delay it? You didn’t want to stay here any longer!

‘‘Dear Veronica,‘‘ Aro was now talking directly to you, ‘‘due to this  _shift_ in events we must have you stay some more, I’m afraid. We will have Haribald escort you to the castle‘s guest quarters at once and Carlisle to tend to you later.‘‘ His words made you furious. What the hell was going on? Why wouldn’t they kill you? Did they really have the audacity to keep you here after all and not even tell you why?

You wanted to protest, to shout and yell at those leeches for making you suffer so much, for toying with you, you wanted to wail and scream. But there was not a pinch of energy left inside your body to do so. You were so, so tired, you just wanted all of them to leave you alone. Edward’s roars were echoing from the high walls and you were sure that someone had to hold him down. Your eyes were getting heavier again and all of a sudden, you felt hard arms pick you up from your curled up position. You were too weak to fend off the exhaustion any longer and so you closed your eyes, letting the darkness finally envelop you.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You awoke again when you felt ice cold hands brush strands of hair from your face. You pinched your eyes because it stuck to your skin and hurt. ''Im sorry, Veronica, but we'll need to clean that''. You blinked a few times and managed to open your eyes, Carlisle's warm face greeting you with a caring smile playing around his perfect lips. You hadn't seen a Cullen so close to you in years and couldn't help but let your lower jaw drop.

''You hurt your head pretty badly and I'll need to check if the wound needs to be stitched. Please, turn your head around.'' You did as you were told, your head was swirling, and skimmed the place you were at. It was a room with solid wood furniture, a mirror hanging on the wall and two unobtrusive doors. You also found your black bag placed on the carpeted floor, having completely forgotten about it. You must have dropped it some time in the big chamber but didn't remember. Your sore shoulder from before was now nothing but a mere scratch compared to what else had happened to your body ...

There was a single but rather wide window to your right side from which you could see the white clouds moving across the sky, and your heart started to yearn for your normal, boring life to come back. But was flight even an option? Most likely not.

You were laying on a king-size canopy bed with purple, velvety sheets that looked very expensive like everything in here. Carlisle was seated to your left, some first aid utensils spread out on the mattress. He palpated your temple and forehead, making you wince at the contact. The urge to ask him why and how you ended up here and what the Volturi were up to flashed up in your mind. But you kept silent, enduring the painful medical procedure.

''The swelling should abate after a while but until then, try to not move your head too quickly. Luckily, it will be enough to just clean the wound as it is not too deep and the bleeding has already stopped.'' You readjusted your head slowly so you could watch his face. His beautiful features still looked like how they had when you had last seen him. But of course they did, vampires didn't age.

''How come nobody attacked me and devoured me there and then?'', you blurted out, surprised at your boldness. Carlisle chuckled, his golden eyes looking at you, making you feel safe, as safe as you had not once felt after arriving in Volterra.

''The Volturi might be ruthless but they are among the most civilised ones of our kind, so the majority of them can control their instincts well. And, well, Jasper has learned to restrain his thirst around humans better, too. A lot of things have changed throughout the last years, Veronica.'' His words hit something buried deep inside you, making your reminisce about past times.

''Wh-'', you cleared your throat. It was painful and hoarse from all the screaming from before.

''Why do the Volturi keep you here?'', Carlisle completed your question while cleaning the wound reaching from your right temple to your forehead. You felt your pulse there but the throbbing pain lessened at his cold touch. ''Y-yes'', you whispered, lowering your eyes.

''No one knows, they won't tell us, Edward won't tell us. It has something to do with what he saw in Marcus' thoughts, something Aro saw, too.'' Huh? What did Marcus have to do with it? And how could it be that Edward, being the only one obviously knowing what was going on, would keep this information to himself? As if Carlisle was the mind reader in his coven, he answered one of your silent questions. ''Do you remember what Aro said to him? That it's the best to keep the reason for your extended stay a secret?'' You mulled over the happenings from not long ago and remembered. ''Uh-huh.''

''He sticks to his orders although he is quite ... upset. But we don't question him further. Well, Alice tried but it was to no avail, he won't come out with it.'' You flinched as Carlisle disinfected the side of your head.

''We figured it would be best to wait for Aro or the other two rulers to bring us into the loop'', the blonde vampire explained. ''But we- I assume it has something to do with Jane, the one that was staring at you, remember her?'' _Jane_. Of course you remembered her.

''What about her?'', you inquired, trying to keep your voice low in order not to sound too nosy. ''Her behaviour was unusual, to put it mildly. Normally, she doesn't disobey any of the masters' orders as she knows her and her brother's privileges are highly dependent on the masters ... assessment of their obedience. She's a powerful asset to the Volturi coven, you know. She's one of the most powerful ones, together with her brother, Alec. They are subordinates only to the masters and it is the blind obedience that makes them so valuable to them, to Aro. It was strange to see her like this'', Carlisle mused.

He sounded like he knew her. Oh, right. Of course he did ... you remembered that he had spent some time with the Volturi coven during the early 1700s, he had told you when you had noticed an old, baroque painting that showed him and three other people, looking like monarchs, hung up in their house back in Forks. This had been the first time someone had told you about the Volturi.

''T-to see her like what?'', you asked, rubbing the bridge of your nose. ''Well'', Carlisle began explaining, ''she looked upset and angry as she rarely does anymore.'' Yeah, you remembered those bewildered eyes staring at yours. But to you, they didn't look particularly angry. They looked adrift.

''We were trying to make her stop, to get Aro or Caius to end your torture but the guard was holding us down.'' So it was indeed Jane that caused your agony. But why?

Despite your unlucky situation, you felt a wave of relief wash over you at the fact that the Cullens did try to help you, even if they didn't succeed. You looked at Carlisle and cracked a half-hearted smile, trying to show your appreciation. He reciprocated it and gestured for you to open your fists. As you did, small, slit-shaped wounds appeared on your palms. The amount of force you must have put up in order to dig into your flesh this deeply baffled you. Carlisle started to gently examine and clean them just as he had done with your head.

You looked out the window again, the blue, innocent sky out there contrasting so very harshly with what you had just endured in here. Your pounding headache was just one hint giving that away.

''Do you want to know anything else about her?'', he inquired. You were glad he kept the conversation going, showing you he noticed your silent curiosity.

''Yes, actually, there's one thing'', you chewed on your lower lip, ''how did she do it?'' The topic made you uncomfortable but you wanted to know.

''How did she cause the pain?'', the blonde doctor raised his brows at your question. ''Y-yes, that'', you added quietly.

''As I said before, she and her brother Alec are the Volturi's single most potent weapons. They have mental abilities that by far surpass those of many, many others of our kind. Alec can deprave anyone, human or immortal, of their senses, be it sight or touch or whatever he pleases. Jane on the other hand can inflict illusionary pain onto someone.'' So the pain was ... an illusion? It felt quite real.

''Throughout the centuries, Jane has picked up some of Aro's and Caius' sadistic tendencies. What she did today, though ... I can't shake the feeling that it was a bit ... off'', he shook his head almost imperceptibly, making you wonder.

Off? What did he mean? You wanted to ask more but felt bad about probing too much so you decided to drop the matter, exhaustion getting the better of you again.

Soon after, Carlisle was done. He quickly gathered his things, put them back into a suitcase and stood up. His movements were so light and graceful you watched him admiringly. But they weren't as graceful as Aro's, you noted to yourself. Aro truly looked otherworldy when he moved.

''It's best if you sleep now, Veronica. You have endured a lot today, your body needs to rest.'' As much as you hated to admit it, Carlisle was right. ''Alright, thank you, Carlisle, for ... everything'', you smiled again, vaguely.

''Don't mention it'', he smiled back at you and turned around. Quicker than any human could ever just touch the knob, he had opened the door and left, leaving you to yourself.

Alright, so now you were here, stuck somewhere in a castle full of deadly leeches. This was mind-bogglingly crazy. Hopefully things would clear up soon. You were too tired to ponder any longer and instead just closed your eyes to get some of your much-needed rest.

Carlisle's smile continued to linger on your mind and hover in front of your eyes even after a while as you were trying to fall asleep. This smile, it was something you didn't even know you had missed. But you had, dearly. Seeing him again, it made you quite melancholic. So, despite yourself wallowing in sadness and unprocessed shock about this unexpected turn of events, it didn't take long for you to drift off into a restless sleep.


	7. A new Friend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for my lack of updates recently. I've started working a full-time job and won't be able to write as often as I would like to. Anyhow, enjoy!

The sound of screams jolted you out of your sleep, your hair standing on end. Shreds from your confused dreams still flickered in front of your eyes as you sat up in bed, stiff as a corpse, while reality and dream were merging into one, not yet separated completely: red eyes, over and over again, looking at you in disdain one time and in hurt another time. You tried to escape their blazing gaze, desperately, but your attempts to scuttle along a corridor appearing in front of you were futile, your legs seemed glued to the ground, weighing a thousand tons. Incapable of fleeing those haunting eyes fast enough, you tried dragging yourself along the labyrinth of endless halls and corridors, stairs and archways, not once finding the the exit.

Your heart skipped a beat as another scream cut the air, catapulting you back to reality once again. Like prey, your eyes darted around to find the origin of the sound. It almost sounded like what you had heard escape your own mouth not so long ago ... you shook your head, trying to banish thoughts about the incident. Thoughts about _her_. And her eyes.

Still placed on the bulky bed whose covers seemed to swallow you like a soft, purple mouth, greedy and ready to consume you, you felt the sense of dread from before seize you. The light fabric of the bedsheets caressed your skin, their soft velvet enwrapping you, trying to lure you back to sleep … but nothing here felt right anymore, you were wide awake with tension spreading throughout every fibre as more screams emerged. Some were low, some high, others sounded pleading or angry. All had in common that they reminded you of cheap horror movies but as sleep's fog slowly lifted itself, you came to realize that what was happening was ... _real?_

The petrified silence that had inhabitated the castle had definitely been exchanged for something else – noises full of fear and panic. Your body, still strained and hurt, bubbled with adrenaline, your senses heightened. You sat still on your bed, rooted to your spot, a burden ten times heavier than lead encumbering you. And every time a scream echoed through the halls, you jerked with fear and pity.

The cries for help seeped through the stone walls and pierced your ears, your body preparing for the worst. And then you remembered: Bella had once told you about her experience coming to Volterra for the first time, about her breakdown when she had realized the screams resounding within the castle's walls were cries of people being killed by the Volturi and used as their meal. You gulped, not wanting to throw up. Even if what was going on out there was feeding time, you would definitely be safe in here, right? Yes, right, right ... you were in here while others out there had their life drained from their bodies so that the Volturi could live on as the abominations they were. You felt guilty but right now, you feared for your own life, and this feeling kept you rooted to your place, almost petrified, statuesque. You didn't move, you didn't even breathe.

Those vampires, they seemed to be mere shadows, empty shells of what they had used to be in their human days. They thirsted for blood, power and revenge, nothing else. 

Trying to block out the noise, you pressed your hands on your ears, ignoring the pain it caused to your maltreated body.

Suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, the door to your room was thrust open but before you could scream, your body slacked down in relief: it was Giulia that had entered and not someone to feast on your blood - for now. You turned your upper body towards her with so much speed your head swirled and eyed her with a suspicious gaze. She simply stared back at you, a silent sense of grief surrounding her slender body. Her bronzy skin seemed kind of grey in the dim afternoon light reaching through the window, you noted, not even bothering to make sense of any of the happenings anymore. She then advanced to sit next to you onto the soft mattress but remained at a distance, only her tender smile giving away some sort of sympathy for you. The castle was silent again, dead silent.

‘‘I’m sorry you just had to witness that‘‘, she sighed while drawing circles on the bedsheets with her fingers. ‘‘It’s only been tourists so far, if that calms you …‘‘. You grimaced and looked at her in disgust. She inhaled deeply, her petite body shifting as she positioned herself to look away from you. ‘‘To me, this has gotten terrifyingly normal, I guess… I always try to block out the screams, makes it easier‘‘, she muttered as she played with her hair.

‘‘How can you live with this?‘‘, you suddenly spat in disdain, your words spilling from your lips like soup too hot to eat. Giulia raised one of her dark eyebrows.

‘‘How do I live with what?‘‘, she countered. Her question confused you. How wouldn’t she understand your unease?

‘‘How do you live with someone being slaughtered while you just watch? How do you live with _them_? They’re monsters!‘‘ You couldn’t help the words that gushed from your mouth to sound scornful and accusing, and suddenly Giulia looked hurt. She looked away, a wrinkle appearing between her brows, and continued to speak in a low voice.

‘‘The Volturi aren’t as bad as you think, Veronica. They are … _il fondamento_ of peace and law and order not only for their world but also for ours. We rely just as much on them as they do on us, you just don’t _see_ that. But just because you cannot know how they pull the strings, how important they are for our modern world does not mean they are as bad as you think. Without their guiding hand, there would be even more death and destruction not only among vampiri. They make sure everything is done the _right_ way. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of newborn armies and the like?‘‘, she was looking into your eyes now, her pretty features stern and unyielding, her speech protecting something very dear to her, something that seemed very vile to you. ‘‘Of course I do‘‘, you replied snappishly as if to defend yourself but her words made you feel foolish nonetheless. Now _you_ didn’t want to relent.

‘‘But they’re not the good guys, Giulia! They kill and torture because they can, because they like doing it! They’re despots … or call them dictators or whatever you want! And they wrap you round their fingers to make you be a part of their tyranny! You can’t tell me _you_ don’t see that?!‘‘, you protested while gesturing profusely, making the wounds on your palms hurt a bit, your pent-up frustration and the crazy turmoil of emotions you’d gone through getting the better of you.

Giulia’s jaws were clenched and she had formed her small hands into balls. When she spoke, which happened after a few seconds of uncomfortable, heavy silence, she sounded angry. ‘‘Why don’t YOU see the obvious, Veronica? No one here hides their nature, I agree! No one here tries to be someone they’re not! The _vampiri_ here don’t try to put on a show. I cannot say the same about _your_ vampiri.‘‘ You snapped. How dared she talk about them like that? They had left you behind, yes, but they tried their best to be good people and surely didn’t deserve their name to be dragged through the dirt. In your rage, you opened your mouth but before you could counter, Giulia spoke again.

‘‘I come from a very small town in Campania near the coast. People there have always been … well, bigots … and they will always be, believe me-‘‘, she blurted out with anger in her trembling features, blood rising to her cheeks, coloring them a mixture of greyish bronze and pink. ‘‘I have never had a place to call my home, _dear_ Veronica. I've never felt like I belonged, not in my family after my dad had remarried and fucked my stepmother to make my half-siblings and surely not at school where everyone thought I was odd. THIS is the first time in my life that I feel a sense of … _appartenenza_ , uhh … belonging! Here I have found a place to call home, believe it or not! They might live off of blood, yes, they might be cruel to your eyes or selfish and rude or whatever you wanna call them but they do what needs to be done!‘‘, she panted, the fury in her voice filling it with such intensity you sat there with a dropped jaw.

‘‘They don’t run around pretending to be what they’re not, denying their very own _natura_ , drinking animal blood and fucking humans because they’re oh-so-good!‘‘ There was actually a thin line of sweat visible on Giulia’s upper lip. You wanted to punch it, punch her face for saying those things about the Cullen family.

Giulia breathed in before speaking again. ‘‘You eat meat, Veronica, don’t you? A lot of people do. And _they_ drink blood, why shouldn’t they? It’s their natural diet‘‘, her voice had calmed down a bit as if to apologize her quick-tempered behavior.

‘‘They…‘‘, her voice now was a mere breath, shaky,‘‘ they truly aren’t as bad as you think they are. They’re by no means warm or kind but they don’t need to be. They’re very honest and have told me from day one on that I could end up as their dessert, sometimes Demetri actually jokes about it. I’m completely aware of the consequences my choice of working here might have for me.‘‘ That confused you. Giulia shifted her position slightly as if to indicate her own unease.

‘‘I’m sorry‘‘, she mumbled in a hushed tone and suddenly covered her face with her hands. Sobs started to escape from her tiny form and you just sat there, gawking at her in discomfort, not knowing how to react. ‘‘It’s not always easy, mia amica …‘‘, Giulia said in between the sobs and looked up with widened eyes, ‘‘I hope it’s okay if I call you that … you know, my nonna, my grandma, always used to tell me the tales about _vampiri_ in Volterra. She had been living here her whole life. I guess she was the one to get me interested in them. People always said I was so much like her‘‘, the woman in front of you, her tiny body trembling slightly, muttered from under her breath with a weak, cracking voice. ‘‘See, Veronica, my nonna _knew_ things, she knew about them. Everyone else thought she was crazy but I always believed her tales of vampiri, of beautiful and perfect creatures living off of blood. And I knew I wanted to be a part of their world. And here I am and I _do_ like their world.‘‘ You scrutinized her, confusion and fear about not knowing what to do or say freezing you to your spot. She lifted her face from her hands to look in your direction, her brown, warm eyes darting around, the sadness and vulnerability very visible on her petite features. It was strange to see this formal woman be so sensitive. You wanted to be angry at her but you couldn’t be at the sight in front of you. You actually felt sympathy.

‘‘I-I..‘‘, you were searching for words but they got stuck in your throat. Giulia shifted again and moved away a bit, trying to compose herself. Her still weak voice cut through the silence that had built up.

‘‘I guess we’re not on the same page when it comes to this topic … but it is alright, right? I just don’t want to fight with you over things we cannot change. I actually do like it that you are here with me. Being surrounded by immortals all day long can be tiresome, at least for someone like me, someone still human. For now we’re safe and sound, isn’t that something?‘‘, she uttered soberly, a weak smile playing around her still trembling lips, trying to console you.

‘‘I-‘‘, you looked her in the eyes, guilt rushing through you, and lowered you head. She was right. This wasn’t the time or place to fight. ‘‘Yes‘‘, you added quietly.

You heard the the rustling of the covers as she shifted her position again. The purple velvet reflected some of the dim afternoon light reaching your room from the window, making it glisten slightly. ‘‘Maybe I can cheer you up a bit‘‘, Giulia stated with sudden excitement in her high voice. ‘‘I can tell you whatever you want to know about them and I’m sure there are many things you wanna know.‘‘ Your face lit up and you lifted your head to smile at her. ‘‘Soo…‘‘, she began lightly, ‘‘what do you wanna know?‘‘ Your eyes skimmed the room while you were trying to think about what to ask. There were indeed many things you wanted to know.

‘‘I-‘‘, you stumbled over your own words trying to sort your thoughts, ‘‘yes, I- uhh … _Jane_.‘‘ Your blinked but avoided Giulia's glance and bit your cheek for sounding so nosy and stupid.

‘‘Oh, Jane …‘‘, she mused and smiled to herself, her face not quite turned in your direction anymore, ‘‘… I’ve known her for about four years, that’s how long I’ve been here. I know she’s one of the highest ranking guards, along with Alec, her brother, and a few others. But the twins certainly are the masters‘ … or, well, especially Aro’s favorites because of their special abilities.‘‘

‘‘Special abilities as in projecting unimaginable pain onto someone?‘‘, you tried to sound funny but it came out bitter and Giulia simply nodded, her lips a straight line, and continued speaking.

‘‘During my time in Volterra, I honestly haven’t gotten to know her very much. She doesn’t interact with humans often, we rarely speak and if we do, she doesn’t say much. The masters send her and the other Volturi guards on missions quite often so she’s not around all the time.‘‘

‘‘What ... missions?‘‘, you asked as Giulia’s words had sparked your curiosity. Why weren’t you able to drop the matter? Why did you have to probe?

‘‘Well, Jane and Alec are used to intimidate other vampires and to enforce our, _their_ , laws. They’re feared and known and also skilled‘‘, she laughed. ‘‘So sometimes their missions consist of kiling other vampires or making sure they remember the laws and so on. I’m not exactly on track when it comes to missions, I’m not supposed to be, they don’t want me to be as I’m still the way I am...‘‘, Giulia said, looking sad.

‘‘Has she used her powers on you once?‘‘, you asked with your head tilted. ‘‘No, actually, I don’t think she ever has. There never was a need to, I’m careful to always do all of my work well. You could call me pedantic‘‘, Giulia giggled. You smiled back vaguely, trying to make sense of why Jane had seen the necessity to inflict her pain onto you. ‘‘Why did she do it to me, then?‘‘, you questioned Giulia, the confusion very visible in your face.

‘‘I honestly don’t know‘‘, she shrugged, a puzzled look clouding her pretty features. ‘‘Jane usually doesn’t do it like _this_. I'm sorry you had to endure it-'' ''It was crazy, I still can't believe the pain didn't kill me. I honestly still can't believe it really happened'', you interjected, still in shock and fear about what had happened. Giulia smiled in unease and you decided to let her speak instead, not wanting to force her to talk about something she didn't want to.

''Yeah, well, sometimes Jane tortures people, other vampires or even her …. food … without the masters‘ order to do so but she never openly disobeys them. You know, she enjoys a lot of privileges around here but she’s too loyal to exploit them like that.‘‘ Your brain rattled and you were sure there had to be steam coming out of your ears because of how eagerly you tried to make sense of the happenings.

‘‘But you never know what’s going on in someone’s head, especially when it’s someone like _her_ ‘‘, Giulia simpered and your forehead creased at her tone. You glanced up to the ceiling, trying to find your next words.

‘‘Someone like _her_ … what do you mean?‘‘, you asked with a quiet voice and pinched your skin for stalking Jane like that. She clearly didn’t deserve any attention and you didn’t want her to linger on your mind any longer.

‘‘Well, she’s not your typical _vampira_. Her biological age is … I don’t even know, maybe around 16? She‘s younger than most others around here. I mean, the others are quite young, too, but the twins, they’re Aro’s darlings and I guess he’s the closest thing they have to a father, really. They are by all means _special_ and very dear to him and they know that, Jane knows it, and she knows what she can and cannot do. You know, Veronica, the twins only really had each other in the past and, of course, Aro who had taken an interest in them quite early. He actually saved them from dying. And they’re not exactly popular among the guard, at least Jane isn’t. She _knows_ of her rank in the Volturi.‘‘ Such weird people, the weirdos among weirdos, you pondered.

‘‘He saved them?‘‘, you asked Giulia curiously, internally slapping yourself for wanting to dig further but ... you wanted to draw a better picture of this strange vampire and didn't like it.

‘‘I don’t know the whole story but from what I’ve heard, they were burnt at the stake some time around 800 or 900 dopo Cristo.‘‘ You studied her sharp features in an attempt to understand the last words. ‘‘Oh, sorry, I meant after Christ‘‘, Giulia added sheepishly. Wow, so they were old. Jane was old, over 1000 years old, older than any of the Cullens.

‘‘People in their village thought they were witches or something like that. Aro saved them because he had kept track of their extraordinary abilities even as human children.‘‘ You tried to process all of the information spilling from the woman’s full lips but you wanted to relax your knitted brows, every thought visible on your face. Your head started to hurt again.

‘‘Now that … shines a completely different light on her‘‘, you stated absent-mindedly, talking to yourself more than to Giulia. An odd wave of concolence bubbled up inside you. So … Jane had been a victim, too? Surely, she hadn’t always been like _that_ and centuries of exposure to cruelty and emotionlessness had to wear her out somehow. But no, you wouldn’t let her draw the victim card on you.

 ‘‘…what about Marcus? I mean, uhm … Carlisle told me Edward and Aro saw something in his thoughts or so, something about why they keep me here. So, uhm … why do they?‘‘, you asked.

‘‘Oh, Veronica-‘‘, Giulia lowered her head apologetically, ‘‘I really don’t know. I would tell you if I did. But please don’t feel so bad about it … if they wanted to kill you, they would have done so already, I think. Sometimes their decisions aren’t as bad as you might think.‘‘ Her words didn’t cheer you up, even if they were supposed to make you feel hopeful. Giulia repositioned once again and looked straight at you. ''And, there's one thing more. I basically only came here to tell you to see master Aro tomorrow morning at 10 in the throne room. He said he will await you there but that's all I know'', she added. Uh, oh, no ...couldn't she have told you earlier? The throne room ... god, no... not again. Maybe it'd be smart for you to consider suicide by jumping off your window. Or getting a paper cut in front of the guard. You'd keep that in mind.

‘‘I’m sorry, mia amica, but I need to go now. You should take a shower, maybe, because you don't look too well ... and I will make sure someone’s gonna bring you some food later. Please, don’t think such bad thoughts, things … should be fine‘‘, she smiled warmly at you and you nodded in appreciation. ‘‘See you, Veronica. Things will be fine, remember that, okay?‘‘. The corners of your mouth turned into a faint smile as you wiped unnoticed tears from the corners of your eyes. ‘‘Mm-hm, I hope.‘‘

The slender woman said her goodbyes, sat up, straightened her outfit and stepped back from the bed to leave out the door. Closing it behind her, her warmth had vanished from your room as quickly as she herself had, the room‘s former coldness lingering in the air again. It felt dead in here, everything in this castle felt dead. You didn’t want to be here all by yourself, all to yourself, fighting with your own thoughts, fighting to banish Jane’s red eyes from your mind and fighting the bad emotions coiled at the pit of your stomach. So you decided it was best to move your body a bit and to take a shower. Your sweaty, sticky and bloody form would surely be thankful for it.

With faltering steps and a swirling head, you somehow managed to get up and walk to the lordly bathroom, rinse your strained body, remove the dried blood and inspect yourself. The fall had left its very visible mark, your head and eye were partly swollen and the skin would probably turn blue. But for now, the hot, caressing water running down your shape centered you and warmed you up to the core. You didn’t feel so bad about your situation for the moment being. Maybe things would turn out fine indeed, like Giulia had said, when you were to meet Aro tomorrow? You still didn’t quite understand her motives for being here. She was pretty and smart and could work anywhere else but she just somehow chose a castle full of vampires. Why was she in for all of this? You sighed and turned off the shower, the damp air around you forming drops on your skin. It was much paler than Giulia’s.

You then dressed yourself and found a tray of food on the table in the room. Someone had brought you a taco and some salad. The food was alright, you felt quite hungry and were glad your human needs weren't being neglected completely in here. But, thinking about what was to come tomorrow, the thought of taco and salad being your last meal did disappoint you a bit...


	8. Horripilation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

''Hello.'' Red eyes peered at you. You knew who they belonged to, without a doubt and in an instant. Those eyes looked like _hers_ from one angle but … so much more different from an other.

There was no humanity left in them. They seemed hollow and empty, shallow like a puddle on a rainy day, not like a pond or a lake full of centuries of experience. They were old, just as old as Jane's, and they quite looked like hers. The person was just a bit taller than Jane, the hair darker and shorter but indeed, the twins' resemblance was uncanny, their angelic features wearing the same hint of existential boredom and emotional flattening. In some way, this someone, right now mere inches away from you, reminded you of an old war-weary veteran, the feelings in his gaze long gone, lost or buried somewhere deep down. Maybe he had locked them away or maybe it was simply in his, in _their_ nature to lack warmth and depth. But surely, all of them here had fought many wars throughout their lifetimes. And surely, not even vampires were immune to fighting internal battles. They were emotionless, not soulless. They simply lived in a world where there was no place for sentiment. Their world was still and dark.

The creature standing there in front of you in the doorframe was ancient. It was the archaic origin of myriads of lurid tales and legends, an undying, omnipotent and relentless monster. He was also a boy, an innocent victim of his days, of religious delusion and relentlessness. He, the boy, the creature, unified what the modern world only knew as seperate. He was both innocent and guilty, victim and perpetrator, myth and reality.

He was a young lad, slender and lanky, not really tall. Standing there was not a child, not yet a fully-grown man, his skin white as snow, his eyes scanning the room. But despite his stern aura, the boy's face was soft and round. It was extraordinarily beautiful. And when his voice sounded in your ears, it was as soft as the stroke of a wing, and a shiver ran down your spine.

''Has courtesy gotten obsolete lately?'', Jane's brother beheld you with red eyes that reminded you of pools of blood. He was staring right through you with a gaze so razor-sharp you could feel your neck tingle.

Your eyes shied away in embarrassment as you became aware of your own stare so you looked away, warm blood rising to your cheeks. You weren't completely sure but you thought you saw him lick his lips from the corner of your eyes. Then he spoke again.

''My name is Alec. I was sent out to get you. We should betake ourselves at once if you’ve got everything you need. We _all_ want to sort out the affair at hand. It quite bothers my sister'', he shot you another look but you still didn't lift your eyes from the floor. You knew his gaze wouldn't be friendly, he appeared protective of Jane.

''I thought it would just be Aro and me, Giulia told me to see him at 10 ...'' You couldn't hide your disappointment. And fear. ''No, it will not. This concerns my sister and me just as much. But as our father, Aro will supervise‘‘, Jane's brother stated bluntly. And you, you tried hard to keep a straight face in his presence. You felt like a deer on a battue, your predator just inches away.

''Okay, but what about the Cullens?'', you managed to ask, your voice timid, ''where are they? I mean, will they come, too?'' Alec eyed you up and down and you felt your blush grow even warmer.

''No, this meeting will only involve our inner circle, outsiders like them will not be tolerated'', he finally explained after seconds of heavy, awkward silence. With a displeased sound that you couldn't quite hide, you decided to let the matter drop. Alec seemed to be annoyed already.

''It is almost 10'', he spoke again with his unreal voice. ''Come with me, will you?‘‘, he impatiently waved for you to exit your room and you obeyed without a second thought. You hadn't exactly been prepared for Alec to show up in front of your door ... just like that. After eating your taco yesterday afternoon, you had went to bed again and slept a surprisingly undisturbed slumber. The night had been more or less peaceful and definitely quiet.

As you were trailing the young vampire, the frenzy in your mind was hard to stop. The hair on your head was still ruffled and ... uh, oh, you knew your face looked bad. Quite colorful. And its whole right side hurt. Now ... was him picking you up a bad omen? You weren't sure what it meant for you.

Following behind him, quite like tiptoing, you tried to catch up. He was fast and you didn't want to get lost in the huge labyrinth of corridors, stairs and halls. Surely he would find you in no time, your pounding heart loud in your ears and even louder in his. But the nightmarish circumstances made you feel lost and scared and you didn't want to be alone, frankly.

''P-please, Alec'', you panted, suddenly unable to locate him. You saw his black attire appear in your line of vision somewhere in front of you in the matter of a second, the cloak swirling above the floor like black mist, blending into the generally dimly lit surroundings of the medieval castle. His sight made you feel relieved and frightened at the same time. He continued guiding you through rooms and along neverending hallways and after a while had passed, the both of you closed up on the big, dark brown double-doors you knew well. What lay behind was unkown to you, and - inevitably - you had to think of Jane and the incident. Whether you would leave this room alive or dead was solely in the hands of fate. It was entirely dependent on Aro's assessment of you, the situation, the 'affair at hand', as Alec had put it. You hoped for the masters' placidity, for their willingness to find a peaceful solution, to let what little humanity was left in them peek through. You hoped for Giulia's words to be true. You hoped the Volturi weren't as bad as you thought but you could harldy convince yourself.

With those unspoken words reverberating inside your mind, hollow and blank, you entered the throne chamber after Alec. If there had been any option to outrun your problems, you would have done so, NOW. But you knew things were futile in the face of supernatural, super-powerful vampires. You wouldn't stand a single chance against their speed or strength. And even if you were to get away, they would track you down sooner or later. There was no escape.

They boy's footsteps, soft and nimble, were sounding in time to your frantic heart beat. Alec's silhouette was a mere waft being blown across the smooth ground, and you fixed your wide eyes to his rythmically swaying cloak. Clenched fists, clammy and painful, a tense jaw, your gaze scouting the room that opened in front of you, again, yet another time. The last time, hopefully.

You spotted the place where you had been laying on the floor - there was no blood, no trace of what had happened, not trace of what she'd done to you. Had they cleaned it? Would they waste it like that? Had someone licked it off? A shudder spread across your upper body. The thought was eery.

''Ahhh, here they come'', Aro's unmistakable voice uttered in stilted joy as Alec walked further away to stand offside, leaving you to stand in the middle of the room. ''Veronica, dear Veronica, we have such good, delightful, joyous news!'', he stressed the words oddly. Your head snapped upwards and you found Aro gaping at you with eyes big as saucers. His uncanny grin, his white teeth and equally white onion skin, his ebony-colored hair and dark attire - you shuddered anew. And, much to your astonishment, managed to raise one of your eyebrows to indicate the unspoken question stuck in your throat without caving in from the burden on your shoulders and the fear in your stomach pit making your knees weak.

''Oh, my dear, I hope you feel better now - I see that you need more time to heal. But the human body is a wonderful machinery, isn't it? In a week or so, you will feel like a new woman.'' Aro's attempts at smalltalk were awful. Someone seemed to share your sentiment as you heard them clear their throat and looked in the direction. There was a big, bulky shadow, cloaked, and a second, smaller person, appearing like a figurine next to the other one, both placed on the elevated throne platform.

It was her. Jane.

She was hooded and her face was veiled but it was obvious it was her since the shape of her body, tender and feminine, easily gave it away. Your throat tied up and your breaths became strained and shallow.

Jane. Her eyes, the pain, it had been so, so awful. So, so terrible. No one had helped you. What if she had killed you? What if she'd actually attempted to? The pain, the searing, blazing fire. Why, just why? Why you?

''Veronica, don't be frightened, we have good tidings to share. We have deliberated … all of this. And we have concluded you stay with us in Volterra. Isn't that wonderful?'', Aro's sing-song voice vaulted you back to the present.

 What?

''I-I'm not sure … what? Wh-why would you delay it again?'', you asked, unbelieving and angry.

‘‘Mia cara, you are going to stay for the time being. You will be our new addition. Our family will gladly take you in'', he clapped his hands like a child. Was he going insane? His words didn't make sense. He had to be confused somehow, you thought. Confusion was nothing only humans could experience.

''Hmm, I'm sure you're terribly curious and excited, dear one.'' You didn't like it that he wouldn't stop using pet names for you. ''Okay, okay‘‘, he put up is bony, paper-like hands as if to surrender himself. ‘‘I believe you deserve to know the truth. It is truly remarkable, you know!‘‘ Finally, you thought. You had to guard your tongue in order not to blurt out the questions in your heavy head, ready to burst. Out with it, Aro. He knew, Marcus knew, Edward knew and now you would, too. Everyone in here would know the reason for your extended stay.

''As you know, a lot of our brothers and sisters carry gifts, very special ones. The Volturi hold some of the most talented immortals in the world. My brother Marcus' gift is also quite extraordinary, he can sense bonds between persons, immortals and humans alike.'' Aha, so Marcus was some sort of empath, like Jasper?

''All of us-'', he gyrated round his own axis with raised hands in a futile attempt to include the other immortals in his monologue ,''were taken aback by Jane's access yesterday. We're not exactly used to seeing her so _emotionally_ involved'', he cackled and you could swear to hear some sort of low, thunder-like growl emerge somewhere in the room. ''It has brought me great dolour to see her, my dearest Jane, in such distress. Having her and her brother as my children has made the tedium immortality brings along bearable and their loyalty has been my strongest solace. They both touch my heart so deeply that I couldn't help but feel deep sorrow about her condition the other day'', Aro added, his voice heavy with concern. Whether the concern was actually refering to Jane's wellbeing or more so her disobedience, you couldn't tell.

''But then Marcus invited me to see what he saw. And it is most unusual that he saw what he saw, a bond between two strangers. Two utter strangers, born during different eras, born into different species, fueled by vastly different motives. This bond between you and her, my Jane, is what makes us keep you here.''

The flow of syllables pouring from his wax-pale lips reached your ears but your rational mind was unable to piece them together, to make sense of them.

''It is a bond, undeniably, and we cannot risk compromising Jane's wellbeing since she is fundamentally important to us. Any of her ties can be used as weaknesses against the Volturi, you must know. There was just no way we could chance letting you leave. The world is a dangerous place.''

His words rumbled over you like thunder. And like a beaten dog on the floor, he kept hitting you relentlessly with them.

''As of now, Jane doesn't want to concede or even agree with our choice but even she knows that Marcus' observations never fail to pertain. And we, me and my brothers, have decided.''

All your hopes were burning down to the core as he uttered his words with a voice so innocent like the one of a child.

''Bonds between strangers don't come into existence often, much less between immortals and humans. It is much more likely to happen for the same kind of people. Of course Edward and Bella are one of the exceptions.''

You tried to breathe between every new revelation, every new detail coming to light. And with every breath, you felt as though hot, molten lead was being poured into your lungs, filling your veins, your cells, and weighing you down like a thousand tons. You felt over-encumbered with loads too heavy to carry any longer, tears welling up in your eyes.

''Master, I-'', a female voice spoke at once, light as thistledown and of a smilar timbre as Alec's. All heads turned in the voice's direction, somewhere right behind Aro, emerging from the delicate, small form you had concluded to be Jane. You had completely forgotten about her presence.

She slowly raised one of her slender arms to unveil her face. Everything that happened now did so in slow-motion, despite her nimble, skilled movements. Appearing from under the dark, large hood was a pale and delicate, young face, its color contrasting with the darkling surroundings in the chamber. It didn't take her clever gaze long to espy your form and as she laid her eyes upon you, your whole body had trouble withstanding the shivers deluging you, washing away your last pinch of composure. You wanted to take away your eyes from her graceful physice, her fulgent, angelic, so perfect features, her fervid eyes - but all was futile. They held your own stare, as incarnadine and bottomless as they were, not shallow or empty like Alec's had appeared. Your eyes, locked onto each other's like magnets, didn't let go of the grasp they held over one another until, finally, Jane broke off the invisible thread that had been woven between you and her within those few seconds your eyes had rested on hers.

She turned her head away, her jawline visible, the white tendons moving on her neck, and opened her mouth, only to close it again, calculating what to say. ''Master Aro-'', she brought herself to say with the voice of an angel, innocent and silvery. It penetrated deeply into your mind, causing havoc within you. If only this voice, as sweet as it echoed in your ears, could stroke away the tears spilling from your reddened eyes. '' In all honesty, Master, I think Master Marcus' evaluation wasn't correct. There is no need to keep the puny girl here. As far as I can see I think the human only causes us unnecessary uproar.''  Jane's eyes darkened. And her words, they stung inside your chest - but why? She was right, Volterra was no place for you and you didn't want to stay. Was Stockholm-syndrome able to set in after only 2 days?

''Jane, this is no matter of discussion, our decision is set'', Aro retorted. She lifted her chin and crossed her arms in front of her chest. ''But Master Aro, don't you agree that the girl staying here will only lead to more work for all of us? Isn't getting her disposed of the easier choice?'', Jane's brother interjected from the side of the room. The desperate line of worry between your brows deepened, your swollen face hurting. ''Do you doubt our judgment, Alec?'', Aro responded and the younger vampire slumped his arms visibly. ''No, Master, I'm sure you know what you're doing.''

Anger welled up inside you like a ravenous force of nature and shoved the timidity aside. How did they have the audacity to take over your life like you were a toy? And so, without thinking much, without considering the company you were surrounded with, you blurted out all of the unspoken frustration. ''Do you honestly think you can force me to stay? Just because you're vampires? Aro, who do you think you are?'' The stilted joy flaked away from his mask-like face like plaster from a wall, his eyes wide and lip twitching. But you continued, mercilessly, with clenched fists and a red face.

''I've come here to deal with whatever problems you had with my existence as a human but I'm not willing to stay here just because you're all crazy!'' you cried out in desperation. Although you kept your gaze locked on Aro's unearthly face, you felt the other immortals' eyes rest on your form just as heavily. Again, a dark growl originated from the throne platform.

''Who do you think you are, seriously? I'm not your toy or slave and I'd rather die than spend another day in here with all of you, rotting alive.'' As you tried to catch your breath, you observed Aro grimace, slowly and dangerously, and it made you back away. Ha, what a coward you were.

The predator in Aro started to show, though, his playful aura had vanished into thin air. With teeth bared, he stepped towards you and you backed off again. He towered over you, stretching his cloak with his pale hands, and you cowered in front of him. ''WHO do we think we are?'', his strident voice rang in your eyes and echoed from the chamber's walls. You didn't move. ''We are the foundation of your civilisation, my dear. We make sure you can go out at night safely and live life as you know it. The world'', his maddening laugh resounded within the room, ''has seen so much worse than any history book may portray. Vampires can truly be man's worst enemy, believe me.'' A shudder struck you again.

''Tell me, WHO do you think you are, Veronica?'' You looked away, searching in your mind for a clever answer to counter with. ''You're what? About 20 years old or so? But us, we have seen empires rise and fall again. We know the workings of the world, little one. So DON'T open your foul mouth again if you care about leaving this chamber alive!'', Aro spat in utter disgust. ''Our decision is set and if you do not agree, just be informed that we know all the means to make you.'' You hugged your arms tightly, dread and desperation pushing you to the brink of sanity. Was this really happening?

''The same goes for Jane! My orders will be obeyed without exception, is that clear?'' His cadaverously white face was twitching with anger. You searched for Jane's eyes but she had them veiled again, her dark hood covering her face. Her form was twitching oddly.

''No'', you whispered, your voice a mere breath, inaudible for human ears, causing a thunder-like grumble emerge from somewhere deep within Aro's chest. ''Oh .. YES!'', he bawled at you with eyes resembling those of a madman. You took a sharp breath, weighed your options with your surprisingly clear mind, turned your heel and ran, not looking back, the tears in your eyes clouding your sight.

You didn't want to listen any longer how they'd take all control away from you. You didn't want to hear his nasty words. Your life was crumbling apart, collapsing like a house of cards. You ran while wiping off the dozens of tears spilling from your eyes with the back of your hands. You ran out the door, panicking, searching for the exit, circling around frantically while trying to get away as fast as possible. You ran with burning lungs and a strangling feeling in your throat, with shaking hands and weak knees. Your head was pounding and you heard nothing but the loudness of your shoes against the floor. You just wanted to get away.

And you ran until your ribcage felt like it was about to burst, until you felt like it was _somewhat_ safe now since no one had seemed to follow. Supporting your panting body on the cold, exposed stone wall, you hid your face behind your hands and pulled your hair like a maniac, trying to make any sense of what had just happened, of what you had just been told. But nothing here was right anymore. Your head swirled with questions, your heart weighed you down with emotions too intense to bare any longer. This wasn't real ... no, no, this wasn't real ... this was a fucking nightmare and no matter how hard you tried, how hard you pulled at your hair, how swollen and red your eyes had become from bawling, how shaky your legs felt ... you weren't able to wake up.

And then your body broke down and you collapsed to the floor. You just weeped, hugging your legs and rocking back and forth. What had your life become?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hours later - it was quite late and dark - you were still here, but you head felt empty now. Your body felt awful, though. You had given up.

Lifting your head from your knees, you shakily you got on your feet - they were weak and cold. Your swollen eyes made it hard for you to see anything in the darkness. Where did you have to go to? Where was your room again? You were trying to remember the way you and Alec had taken earlier when you suddenly felt a weird and cold sensation on your neck. Before your fingers could examine what it was, you felt the cold feeling grow more intense, almost painful. Not being able to see a single thing, you tried backing off but suddenly fingers as cold as ice tightened its fierce grip around your neck and thrusted you backwards until you hit the wall, a sharp pain spreading across the back of your head. Nothing but a single stifled groan escaped your throat as you were fighting for air, your wide eyes full of panic peered into darkness, your sweaty fingers clutched onto the hard arm that pressed you against the cold wall roughly.

Finally, your scouting eyes were able to make out something in front of you. It was a color you knew well. How ...? Outlines of red orbs came into your vision. Jane's.

Had she come to kill you?


	9. Madness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy and leave feedback if you'd like. Thanks!

Her dead, stiff vampire form radiated anger and agitation and confusion and so much more and as your eyes slowly adjusted to the lack of light, you could finally see what you had simply sensed. Her round and red eyes, peering from under the big hood, were wide and her face was that of a very much living, sensitive creature. She didn't seem dead at all.

While she pressed you tighter against the wall and bent your neck upwards in an uncomfortable angle, you wailed and flailed with your arms, trying to grasp hers but she didn’t move even a millimeter. The fragile girl, half a head smaller than you, seemed like an immovable rock. Her sharp nose and her full lips didn’t tremble with strain like one’d expect a human to do while heaving someone up. But from her features alone, still dimly lit, you could derive she was not the emotionless beast the Volturi made her seem to be. The one maybe even she herself believed to be. Her emotions were boiling just beneath her skin and as if to answer your prying thoughts, as if to scold you for invading hers, for figuring her out, she, again, applied more pressure and lifted you slowly up from the floor, your feet dangling in the air. She really wanted you to look away, by force if necessary. Only strained breaths came from your mouth, and not enough air came back in, leaving you growing light-headed.

You tried to move again, to fight Jane but all the scratching, flailing and wreathing didn’t help. She wanted you to look away but you wanted to look her in the eyes if those were to be your last moments. So you hooked onto her stare yet another time in hopes of sparking what little humanity was left inside this vampire and, just as you noticed her frown with those crimson eyes looking so irritated, so confused and .. aghast, like a deer in headlights, you were sent flying in the air and landed on the floor some meters away with a loud thump and sharp pain spreading throughout your entire body. You groaned loudly and sucked in the first breath for what had to be one or two minutes.

You knew that the normal reaction in a situation like this would have been flight but you, you were glued to the ground. You wanted to resolve this issue she had with you, even if it meant serious injuries for you. You were ready to fight her. Surely, she would win and surely, Jane would be able to kill you with the snap of a finger and what she’d done just now was simply a playful demonstration of her true abilities.

‘‘I….‘‘, you suddenly heard her hesitant, light voice reach your ringing ears and invade your mad mind.

‘‘You shouldn’t have come here‘‘, she added soberly and kept facing you for another few seconds, her voice sounding so ... unsure. Her veiled head was hanging low until she left, too quick to really see much, with billowing robes and a feeling of relief sweeping over you. You exhaled and wondered how you’d just survived this. Your heart was still pounding wildly in your chest, your breath was barely calming down but you felt the adrenaline recede. She hadn’t killed you, at least. Was it because she actually didn’t want to? Or was it because someone forbade her to? Would the Volturi even risk killing a friend of Carlisle’s?

Your throat hurt, your body, too, but what was on your mind were her red eyes, full of confusion. Jane had the chance to kill you but she decided not to … maybe that was a good omen? Or maybe she would scare you first and kill you later? Surely, she was a sadist and as such, emotional torture wouldn’t be something she hadn’t used before. For Jane was a killer, a killer of many – that much was sure.

You continued staring into the dark distance, numb and cold, until Giulia found you there.

She helped you walk to your room where Carlisle was waiting for you. Someone had sent him. This time, he had brought Edward with him. Both vampires looked concerned, the younger one more so than the older. As Carlisle was tending to your wounds, Edward paced up and down your room and none of you were saying anything until he stopped to stand.

''We're very sorry, Veronica, but we had been hunting when we were notified you'd been hurt ...'', he said guiltily. After all those years, he still had this air of guilt lingering over him, as if he still hadn't accepted his true nature, as if he was still sorry for whatever he'd done, had to do in order to survive.

''I can't believe there's nothing we can do about it, Carlisle'', he wondered, seeming upset. You took the chance to inspect him closer - but he didn't look much different from when you'd left the Cullens. He looked a bit more fatherly, if that was possible, and a bit harried, his ruffled, bronzy hair and deep eyes giving hint to his distress.

''I'm afraid there's no way, Edward. I've talked to Aro and he told me that their decision is set. They don't want to jeopardise Veronica and Jane's bond'', Carlisle explained in his gentle voice and you scoffed, making him shoot you a sympathetic glance.

''But this is crazy. We can't leave her here with the Volturi, you must realise the danger she's in'', Edward insisted. ''I think she's safer here than anywhere else'', the blonde doctor stated while he  was starting to inspect the side of your body that hurt from the fall. He'd always been a diplomat.

''Ha, you can't really believe what you just said to be true, Carlisle, don't tell me -''

''Yes, Edward, Aro will reprimand Jane for what she did, and I'm certain that after her punishment, she will know her place'', Carlisle explained soberly. You cleared your throat and piped up, 4 bronzy orbs and two warm, brown ones watching you speak. ''Carlisle, I don't feel safe here at all. Even with you all here, Jane still found a way to get to me so what will she do once you're gone?'', you asked, concern showing on your knitted brows. ''If Giulia'', you pointed your hand to her standing farther away from the bed you were on, watching you shyly, ''hadn't found me earlier, who knew who might have. Jane left me there for good.''

''Indeed, Carlisle. Obviously the other guard didn't even have the decency to move a finger and they must've clearly heard what was going on!'', Edward argued, visibly distressed.

Carlisle shifted from his sitting position to straighten his shirt and looked Edward in the eyes. ''Edward, don't you think I've tried my best to presuade them to let Veronica go? Let me tell you, I've known Aro for long - once his mind is settled, he will not change it, no matter how adverse the circumstances might be. If he were to let her go, they would challenge their most effective weapon's capacity. I don't like this outcome at all, believe me, but knowing Aro, I understand his reasoning. He will not budge, so taking her with us will only cause havoc. They will get to her, eventually, especially with Demetri as their tracker. And all of that surely won't make the bond go away.'' The bond, right. You'd pushed that bit of information deep down some rabbit hole in your mind.

''Ahem, the bond ... what exactly does it mean?'', you asked. Carlisle turned to you again and started to explain while examining you further - your throat was sore and there was some damage to your back and sides, but nothing too serious.

''You know there are mates in our world. Mates share strong bonds to ensure they stay together. Esme is my mate, Bella is Edward's, and so on. These bonds are unalterable and last a lifetime until one partner dies. The bonds are not exactly what you think they might be - they certainly don't have to be romantic, most often it is simply the case. And sometimes, like with you and Jane, these bonds just happen like this, unplanned and out of nowhere, maybe concidentally or maybe not. It's uncommon to happen between humans and vampires ... but then we have Edward and Bella, too, so yes, it happens'', Carlisle explained teacherly.

 ''Well, if I hadn't seen seen it myself in Marcus' mind, I wouldn't believe it'', Edward conceded, looking defeated.

''So, what does it mean for me? There's some bond between me and this mad vampire girl and that's the sole reason my life is over?'' The awkward silence that followed didn't stretch very long, Carlisle nodding after a while and Edward just staring on the ground with blank eyes.

''But what do I do now? What will be now?''

''In all honesty, no one really knows much. For now, Jane's doesn't seem to agree ... what about you?'', Carlisle asked, curiosity in his voice.

You thought about his question. What about you? After the incident in the throne room the day you arrived, Jane's eyes didn't leave your mind for a second. But you thought it was because of the shock, the trauma. You didn't anything but fear and dread thinking about the blonde girl. She terrified you, especially now, after her freaking out on your once more.

''I don't feel much. She scares me, that's all, I wan't her to leave me in peace'', you sighed. Carlisle didn't answer right away but instead seemed to be thinking.

''You'll see how things will turn out to be and we will make sure to check on you from time to time. Sadly, that is all we can do for now. The Volturi will make sure we leave soon.  But you're not alone in this'', he put his hand on your back and rubbed it.

''Indeed, you're not. I'll take care of you, Veronica'', Giulia, having kept silent for the talk, uttered, a small smile audible in her words. You nodded while staring at your folded hands. ''I can't believe this is happening to me, it feels like a nightmare.'' The three of your visitors kept silent.

After Carlisle had taken care of your wounds, you chatted a bit with the two vampires about their lives, about yours, about what had changed. You came to believe they were glad to see you again, even if they were the ones that had left. You felt good in their presence, safe.

Before leaving - when Carlisle was already standing close to the door - Edward came up to you and looked you in the eyes intently. ''Even if I don't want to admit it, the bond between you and her exists. For me, nothing ever made sense until I met Bella. Maybe it will be the same for you ... I can't tell.'' Did things make sense now, having met Jane? No, certainly not. She toruted you, you were terrified of her, things were nonsensical and bizarre. ''Maybe Alice might know'', Edward chuckled, ''but future is highly amivalent and can change in a second. She didn't tell us about anything extraordinary that she saw so I guess there's nothing.'' He shrugged and turned around to go towards the door. ''We'll leave tomorrow, Veronica, we have to. They don't want us to stay any longer. We'll bring the others with us to meet you before we depart. Goodbye for now'', Carlisle said with calmness in his voice. But his words caused sadness within you. You'd be alone soon, with only Giulia checking by sometimes. An awful time lay ahead of you.

Giulia told you she'd be back later with a tray of food and you wished them all goodbye. When they closed the door behind them, you exhaled deeply. Your old life was gone, your new one lay ahead of you - terrible, dark and hopeless times were to come. The bond everyone had spoken of - you didn't know what it meant for you or Jane. But it had to be important enough for the Volturi not to kill you. Even more so, they'd given you a luxurious room with a bed bigger and more comfortable than your own would ever be and a full supply of food as well. They really wanted to keep you here. You brought your hands to cover your face and let the tears fall.

On the next day, quite early in the morning, the Cullens said their goodbyes, surrounded by Volturi guard making sure you wouldn't run away. Esme and Alice hugged you, like in the old times, and you couldn't help but cry like a baby at their departure. They left, really left you here, alone. Now... what? You sighed, audibly for the guard to hear. You'd have to think of something.

___

And so the days went by without you really realizing. Soon, almost 3 weeks had passed with you mostly being stuck in your room, mulling over your options, thinking about finding a bulletproof way to flee and failing at every new attempt to do so. Occasionally Giulia visited or you visited her at her desk and she taught you some italian words. You had made up a weird excuse to tell your family about why you'd decided not to return home - you'd fallen in love with some italian guy, head-over-heels, and decided to move in with him just like that. You weren't sure your family believed it - since it wasn't really something you'd really do - but it was the best you had been able to come up with.

One day, you'd been in Volterra for exactly 8 days, Aro stood in your doorway, with a cheesy, creepy smile, and demanded to escort you to the humongous castle library personally. You'd actually found to like it and only occasionally encountered other immortals in there, carefully avoiding them. Sometimes Marcus and Caius spent their evenings in there, studying god-knows-what. You made sure to come by later when you'd be alone and read whatever you could get your hands on. They had more books than any other great library. You were sure it was even bigger than the libary of Alexandria must have been. The books in there were of immense material and immaterial value, holding secrets of centuries and millennials, being as old as western civilisation ... so, yeah, you'd found something to keep your mind busy with. And one thing you quickly realized: the Volturi might have been ruthless and vicious and even brutal but they were very, very erudite.

The food was good, too. They actually had a cook and so typically italian food was something you'd come to enjoy as well. Sometimes, when you dared to take a stroll through the castle by yourself, you'd see groups of tourists being led to ... the chambers to be fed on. Most of the time, though, you didn't really notice your company - you didn't want to think about it. Occasionally, you encountered their tracker, Demetri, who either grinned at you deviously or cracked some dark joke but apart from that, the immortals really minded their own business most of the time.

Only sporadically you saw Alec and Jane (Giuia had told you they were on missions most of the time), mostly veiled, ignoring you like a speck of dust on the floor. Only twice had you seen her face after what had happened and only once had she looked at you - coldly, devoid of any feeling, any warmth, a tight blonde bun gracing her petite head. She looked like angel and devil in one and your gut twisted in response to her sight.

It wasn't until one late afternoon in your fourth week that you were called into the throne room again. This time, Giulia seemed concerned but didn't say much and so you basically spurted along the endless hallways to finally reach the chamber. Inside, waiting, were Aro and the twins.

''Veronica'', Aro started with his usually mellow voice, inviting you in, ''we have some news to declare, mia cara. My brothers and me have to visit some old _friends_ in rural China to make sure they don't ... forget us. There have been some occurences we want to peruse. Since Jane and Alec will also be on one of their missions to England, no one will be here to watch over you ... well, no one we trust enough with this delicate task.'' Okay, so they'd leave you here? That wasn't too bad, honestly, maybe you could plan for your escape - if you ever managed to pull it off.

''So, after discussing this matter throroughly, we've decided for you to accompany them. Jane knows best how to watch over her mate'', Aro added sweetly and Jane growled at the last word, shooting him a dark glance. Her brother, trying to console her, didn't seem less agitated, but none of them protested - not even you, until realization hit you.

He'd send you to England with them. He'd send you to a different conuntry with two sadistic vampire twins that hated you. He had to be insane, surely? Or joking? But no, you looked at him and he seemed to be completely serious. This had to be a bad, cynical joke, right? This guy was ancient and insane, bat-shit-crazy.

''Don't despair, little one, I'm sure they will take good care of you'', he smiled and you just shook your head, stuttering and mumbling incomprehensibly. Protest, you knew by now, was futile. Aro was serious. You had to surrender. Jane had to, Alec had to. And you knew exactly they would hate it as much as you.

''You will leave tomorrow by dawn and Jane and Alec will explain the details. Make sure to pack for a few days at least'', Aro added soberly and you just mouthed a silent fuck-you as you turned around and left, head hung low, not daring to look at the twins again while a single tear escaped your eyes. Those fuckers ...

Tomorrow, by dawn, then ...


	10. The Past catching up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains very slight mentions of sexual abuse. If this triggers you, please don't continue reading.  
> We're somewhat progressing with the storyline now, but hey, it is slow burn after all ... *coughs*
> 
> Sorry for the slow updating process, work + uni assignments = no time.
> 
> Enjoy!

Nothing had ever been more difficult in your life than trying to sleep that night. Well, that wasn’t quite true, but yeah, you were wide awake … your stomach churning ... and you couldn’t keep still, a thousand thoughts running through your head like racing cars. What would happen when you were alone with them? Would they kill you? Would she?

Jane, the witch twin. Allmighty and devilish.

The twins. A match made in hell, without conscience, without remorse. Well, you weren’t entirely sure of that anymore. Cruel? Yes. Emotionless? That was a certain no. At least for the blonde girl.

The witch twins. Some of the lower guard were calling them that behind their backs. They weren’t popular. They weren’t liked. But they were skilled. And they often used their skills, so Giulia had told you and so you had observed, - especially Jane liked to show off her abilities, sometimes with their meal or with the lower guard, occasionally with Demetri or Felix, the Volturi elite, the ones just one level below them in their strange hierarchy. Inofficially below them. They were … no, _she_ was feared and hated. Not surprising at all. You feared her, too. And hated her, for what she'd done to you. But the three kings, they loved them, loved her. And Aro adored her.

Sleep, the big unknown for the night.

 

___

 

With a black backpack on your back which you’d found in your baroque room and lightly clenched fists you made your way to an unconspicuous secret exit, a simple wooden door that Giulia had shown you the evening before. Of course, the twins themselves didn’t give you any instructions as Aro had intended but made Giulia do it in their place.

It was exactly 5 a.m., you barely slept at night but boy were you awake and alert already. You’d figured you wouldn’t be able to let your guard down during the upcoming trip. Maybe you’d be able to escape. Most likely the twins would appreciate it _a lot_ if you just got lost.  
You opened the door with one hand, the rising sun greeting your eyes, and stepped outside, some sort of backalley revealing itself to you. What you noticed immediately from the corner of your eye was a black car with tinted windows and two equally dark figures in front of it. Despite the constant chatter in your mind trying to force you not to look at _her_ again, despite your self-disciplinatory side fighting with your morbid curiosity, despite your will and effort not to be lured by her odd charm, you couldn’t resist lifting your head from the ground, espying her. The slender, black form, crossed arms over her chest, pale, sparkly skin revealed on her delicate wrists and fingers clenched lightly just like yours. Her black, laced leather boots touching the ground firmly, the dark and simple robe ending just above them, it all made your coiled, knotted stomach swirl with conflicting emotions. You were so weak. Pathetic. Scared. Drawn … in?

  
_Don’t look her in the eyes. Do not look her in the eyes._

  
But you did anyway. Her face was mask-like, somewhat sparkly, embodying her perfect, uncaring persona. Her soft features contrasted darkly with the sting her gaze carried. This look was directed at you. Reading her emotions was hard since her face showed almost no expression. Her skill at controlling what she revealed about herself – or better what she didn’t reveal – was astonishing. Like she was master over her own feelings, over her body, her every muscle. Mannequin-like but not … not petrified. No, no .. you had seen more, you had looked deeper. You had scratched the hard, caked surface. This is what stung while she looked at you. She knew you had digged deeper and she didn’t like it. She wanted to show you just how much.

Her brother’s eyes laid on your form as well, but unlike Jane, he simply seemed a bit bored, almost politely bored, the familiar flatness veiling his gaze. His robe with the same black color was more masculine than Jane’s with sharper edges and broader shoulders. They both looked like teenage models about to run for a big fashion show, weirdly anachronistic, misplaced in time and space. Just like you felt seeing them.

You were scared of her, still, but also fascinated by the contrasts, the contradictions she embodied. An ancient being trapped in a young body. Her beautiful face masking the evilness inside. Her cold demeanor cracking in front of your eyes, revealing to you that beneath it she was boiling. Her eyes had the intensity of simmering blood.

  
_Look away, please._

  
Not you but she finally did and with just about that amount of acknowledging you had arrived, a blur of black robes and the sound of car doors closing, the vampires had sat inside the car. Of course, unlike the Cullens, they wouldn’t be polite enough not to use their vampiristic superpowers around you. You suppressed a sigh.

Scuttling towards the car, you saw that the passenger seat was the only one not taken and opened the black, shiny door to enter the rover. A hooded figure was seated on the driver’s seat, not greeting you, not even looking in your direction, and set off in light speed, making your heart pound even louder as you frantically tried to buckle your seatbelt. From your eyes‘ corners, you saw the darkly clothed twins reflected in the rearview mirror and focused hard not to look at them.

The drive was tense, no one talked to you but you noticed them conversing in vampire speed. Normally, a human wouldn’t have noticed but spending so much time with the Cullens made you more sensitive to their (body) language (or lack thereof) and their peculiarities. Vampires had a lot. Them conversing sounded like susurrant murmur, very light and quick, loosely comparable to wind brushing your ears. You kept silent, trying to hide this skill of yours, using it to your later advantage, and stared at the passing landscape.  
Leaving Volterra and following several tiny, serpentine-like roads, you reached some sort of remote airport surrounded by lots of trees. There was a hall there and an asphalt area with several different smaller planes and jets.

The sun was up higher already than when you had left the castle and as the car parked on the lot, you couldn’t help but yawn. In inhumane speed, again, the twins left the car and walked towards one small jet. To your surprise, things were more relaxed than you had anticipated. They seemed to leave you alone, hopefully they’d just ignore you for the time being.

You followed, not looking at the driver again before exiting the rover, and hurried to scurry after the two immortals, your eyes locked to the swaying of their robes. The air was still fresh from the night but you felt the day was going to be another warm one. As you took the first step on the gangway that led upwards, the vampires had already vanished inside and as you finally entered, they had seated themselves in the front of the plane. _Good, so at least I can spend the flight by myself_ , you thought and sat down close to the exit. The jet‘s interior was mostly dark and light beige and, of course, very luxurious, with the volturi emblem emroidered in black and red in the back of every seat. A big V with a crest in it depicting trees and birds.

After you had made yourself comfortable, the jet rolled towards the landing strip and took off, pushing you back in your seat.  
And soon, your eyes started closing which you didn’t fight, no, you welcomed it instead, escaping the situation, falling into an eventless slumber.

 

___

 

The rattling machine jolted you awake, landing on uneven ground. From the window you could now see greyness. Right, England, not Italy anymore.  
You rubbed your eyes as Alec and Jane entered your line of sight and walked down the aisle gracefully. Something about Jane’s presence forced your gaze on her. Yet _again_. And you didn’t like that.

They way her robe fluttered slightly, the way she craned her head like royalty, her jawline showing, the way her eyes peered straightforward, fixed on something you couldn’t see, fixed on all but you. It was like you didn’t exist, to her, to them, Alec was no better. He seemed a bit more gentle than his sister, still deathly and deadly bored but somehow just not as fierce.

The siblings exited the plane, this time in human speed, one behind the other and you followed, down the stairs, across the slightly bigger asphalt parking lot for planes than the one in Italy had been. Not a single person was here and the air was chill, there was no sun peeking through the clouds, it looked like it had been raining already as you tried not to step into puddles of water on your way. You liked this for a change.

The witch twins stood there, several meters away from you at the edge of the surrounding forest, contrasting against the greenery and waiting for you. Closing the distance between you, you heard one of them speak to you for the first time today.

‘‘Our destination lies up north, a few hours away‘‘, Alec pointed towards the forest. Jane, instead, stared into the distance. _Just ignore me, bitch_ , you thought. Wow, wow, where did this sudden anger come from?

You turned towards Alec, furrowing your brows. ‘‘Alright, how will we get there?‘‘, you asked , trying to mask your emotions, proud to be able to talk to one of them without making a total mess of yourself.

‘‘By foot‘‘, Jane suddenly stated annoyedly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, your eyes widening at the sound of her voice. Remembering ... that night.

Observing them through the lashes of your eyes, lost in thought, you heard the murmur again, just very lightly. They didn’t notice it but you saw them exchange glances with each other. With narrow eyes, then, Jane’s head turned towards you. ‘‘You will travel on my back‘‘, she said flatly, her face straight and eyes hard.

‘‘I- excuse me, what?‘‘ You stared, your face in disbelief, the statement making your heart pound.

‘‘Didn’t you hear me, girl?‘‘, the blonde rolled her crimson eyes. Of course you had heard her but you weren’t exactly prepared for that. For being so close to her, your torturer. For having to travel on her back. What would you do? There had to be a way around it, for sure?

But Jane then turned her body around, her slender back facing you, and crouched down slightly. _She’s really being serious_. _Why not Alec?_ You didn’t exactly like him but at least he hadn’t tortured you.

‘‘We don’t have all day‘‘, her brother added. Not in a thousand years, not in your wildest dreams had you thought you would once be carried on the back of one of the most vicious immortals in the world.

  
_Oh god. This isn’t good, is it?_

  
Gulping, trying to swallow your loud heartbeat, you stepped forward. _Oh shit._

The closer you got to her, the more shallow your breaths became. _This is ridiculous._

Her pale, bare neck was exposed to your eyes, tiny hairs flattering her hairline. The skin wasn’t sparkling anymore, there was no sun reaching the ground. And her tight, chignon bun seemed as unyielding as Jane herself. Not a strand was flapping in the wind.

You hesitated. Should you really ask this question? To hell with it. ‘‘W- why doesn’t Alec carry me?’’ Yes, why not him? _You hate me, Jane._

‘’I need to be able to use my arms in order to fight if we get attacked. Jane only needs her eyes’’, Alec explained, sounding impatient but not impolite yet. _Right_ , you thought embarrassedly. He needed his arms to use his gift, carrying you would complicate things for him. 

‘‘Hold onto my neck and I will lift your legs up‘‘, Jane interrupted your train of thoughts without any emotion in her voice. She was unreadable again.

‘‘I-‘‘ you hesitated, debating with yourself whether this was a smart thing to do.

‚‚Girl, don’t fuss! It’s not like there’s any way around it‘‘, Jane uttered, her voice growing more annoyed.

Now standing a few inches away from the blonde vampire, you lifted your shaking hands to haltingly touch the fabric of her dark robe. It felt like wool and silk combined underneath your palms.

  
_I don’t care what it feels like, for fucks sake, why does this have to happen to me?_

  
Slowly, as if you were waiting for her to tear out your arms at any moment, you reached around with both of them to clasp your hands together at the height of the young vampire’s collarbones. You held your breath and were careful not to touch her skin, not to make her feel your warmth. Would she get thirsty having you so close?

In an instant, she had your legs lifted in her hands, you were basically sitting on her slender back, and set off running with speed so fast you terrifiedly pressed your face in the depression between her shoulder and her neck, everything around your swirling and blurring and the cool wind rumpling your hair. _Don’t throw up, god, please._

The coldness of her fingers, it reached your skin through the fabric quickly. Skin, cold as ice.

And you couldn’t help yourself. You didn’t want to touch her, didn’t want to bother her with your touch. But now you were clasped to her, clasping on for life. Clasping on to a living rock, hard as marble, cold. As you heart was racing in your chest, you pressed your eyes so hard together you could see stars dancing behind them. Your face, it was buried into her. _Oh god, too close, way too close_. Smelling her. _Oh, shit, shit._ She smelled sweet, oddly sweet.

 _Of course they smell sweet, all of them do._ She smelled like berries and forests in the summer and the honey your mom had put in your tea when you had been sick as a child. You inhaled her scent. _This is wrong. She is evil. I don’t care if she smells sweet._ Her smell was so alluring, it clouded your senses. _This is wrong._ Your stomach felt sick from the movement and your mind, it was racing, but because of _her_. Her scent, the feel of her robe against your face. The coldness radiating from her even through the fabric, not being able to cool your hot body just one bit.

You opened your eyes, trying to move your head away from her neck. All colors merged into one and blurred like watercolors. The mossy smell of the forest surrounding the three of you melded with the sweetness of Jane. She was everywhere. You wanted this to stop but only clasped onto her tighter. She didn’t say anything, move away or bat even an eye. Again, it was like she was ignoring you, as if you weren’t there. _Good_. Good? 

You checked for Alec but only saw a very fast, black blur move somewhere in front of you, to your left side. If it hadn’t been so terrifying, if it hadn’t been Jane Volturi carrying you through the wilderness of England, then maybe, just maybe it would have been fun, going at lightspeed. But it wasn’t.

After a few minutes of travel, the sickness in your stomach pit slowly vanished. But the awkward, tense feeling of being so close to Jane stayed. You mostly traveled with eyes closed, trying to put as much distance between your body and Jane’s, trying to breathe slowly and shallow. Trying to dissociate from what was happening, trying to make yourself believe it was Emmett or Alice you were with, not her.  
You were forcing yourself to do so, you had to.

It wasn’t long after you’d managed to calm yourself a bit that an odd sound, like a big branch breaking or cracking, snapped you out of your thoughts. And then Jane stopped, simply stopped, standing like a statue. Your eyes, unfocused, burning from the wind, your breath, wild, your body, clinging to her like a monkey. Your gaze, trying to dart around. Another crack, louder. Then growls. From Alec who was now standing to your left, crouching like a feral beast, head craned, fingers spread, ready to attack.

Jane, vibrating underneath you, snarling like an animal, your hair standing on end.

And then you saw it, too, the reason for their behavior, them. They descended from the large trees like dark snowflakes falling from the sky, three of them. A bulky one in the front, with short, red hair, around 40, wearing a green woolen sweater. Two people next to him, a younger, more slender guy and a woman, with red and untamed hair. 3 pairs of red eyes seizing you up, 3 pairs of red eyes darting from Alec to Jane to finally land on you, partially hiding behind Jane.

''Ohhh, what a nice surprise!'', the sturdy one exclaimed with an english accent and a vicious smile gracing his pale face, exposing his perfect teeth. ''Our wonder boy, Alec, and pretty, pretty little Jane. Have you come to visit us?'', he spat sweetly, walking to and fro in font of you and the twins, his chums waiting in the back, observing your every move.

Jane and Alec were still only facing the attackers, occasionally growling, looking more vampirish now than you'd ever seen them. Where they waiting to attack?

''If you'd only told us beforehand, we could've prepared something, maybe throw a party?'', the big guy cackled, throwing back his thick neck, his minions joining in. ''And I see Jane's even brought us some food, how considerate of you. I know you like them scared, they taste the best'', the vampire said playfully, licking his lips and peering at you. Jane only vibrated more, growling louder and louder. She was tense and hard and you feared you'd soon drop to the ground, failing to grip tightly enough.

''Lesley, shut your foul mouth!'', Alec spat with disdain in his voice, finally breaking the twins' silence.

''There, there, Alec! I know dear Jane can handle much, much more than you give her credit for, isn't it so, sweet one?'', he grinned, eyes fixed on Jane who was practically boiling with rage by now, not saying a word. ''A lil' tease has never killed anyone', he put his hands up in defeat but his grin never left his face.

''Jane likes acting innocent but we all know the truth'', the red-haired immortal pestered, ''Daddy knew, too, isn't i-'' He didn't finish his sentence, instead you were thrown back with force so strong the tree you landed on made a cracking sound. Falling to the floor, feeling no pain at all, just hearing the beat of your frantic heart and fixing your gaze on what was happening in front of you.

Relatively small Jane, putting the big vampire in a headlock, clenching his head with force, trying to rip it off, only to be held back by his companions. And Alec, standing, mist slowly escaping his hands.


	11. Petrified Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> TRIGGER warning: mentions of sexual abuse.
> 
> This chapter is shorter than the one before, sorry for that. I'm quite busy with uni stuff and work recently, so I figured I'd just upload what I have so far and not wait another month or so.
> 
> Enjoy!

_You are the avalanche_

_One world away_

_My make believing_

_While I'm wide awake_

_Those wild eyes_

_A psychedelic silhouette_

_You are the snowstorm_

_I'm purified_

_I never meant to fall for you but I_

_Was buried underneath and_

_All that I could see was white_

_My salvation_

\- Gabrielle Aplin

_____________________________________________________________

 

It all went too fast for your eyes to catch up with. Something was happening, right in front of you, but it was impossible to sift it out.

Awing noises, like crazed animals fighting, reached your ears. Your eyes, however, only detected fragments of clothes, bits and pieces of their skin’s pallor.

They were burning from the air that was now awhirl with dust, moss and soil.

‘’Give me my senses back, you bloody yaldson!’’, you heard the woman’s low growl, not far away from where you were hunched over the damp floor, thousands of questions running through your head - about what was happening … and about what Lesley had just said.

At once, things were still again. And all you saw was devastation. Where before the ground had been covered by lush greenery, now there was a gaping depression, with roots torn out, crumbed rocks and lumps of grass and moss scattered around. In it, standing to the right side, were the invaders, their bodies stiff, white-ish mist surrounding them; their eyes, albeit red and fiery, appeared … hollow.

Lesley was crouching on the floor, to the twins’ feet whose robes seemed dust-covered and torn. Like immovable forces they stood erect against the ground. Their eyes were fixed on him.

‘’Don’t take us as fools, Lesley’’, Jane broke the silence. And then Lesley was whincing and squirming in the dirt, like a worm. Pain.

‘’Y-you daaarn slag!’’, he bawled out through gritted teeth, ‘’I b-bet your d-daddy took a fancy to your t-tight little minge.’’ _What_? His back bent in an unnatural manner, his legs clamping together like wet rags.

‘’I guess’’, he spat with his voice so hoarse it was hard to understand, ‘’he’d a-always favored yours over your mummy’s loose c-cunt.’’ Jane just stared at him, in rage. You just stared at her, in shock.

The older vampire’s minions, numbed by Alec’s gift, seemed so helpess you would’ve sympathized with them if the situation weren’t what it was. Alec would be able to end them within seconds.

The air buzzed with intensity, Lesley’s body the only thing moving. You felt the urge to see Jane’s eyes but they were blocked from your view by loose strands of hair. Then she let loose again and you heard her victim suck in a breath, as if in need for it. An arrogant grin crept across his pale face, his eyes wandering from Jane, blind with rage, across the floor to meet your frightened ones. He bared his teeth.

‘’What do you want to do with this one later, Jane?’’ Jane’s eyes didn’t leave Lesley. His didn’t leave you, prying you up and down.

‘’She’s none of your business’’, Jane uttered. You saw Lesley’s eyes flash with emotion as he turned his gaze to look at her.

‘’I see, not only a harlot but also a queer one … it’s really a shame your father made you into what you are tod-‘’, he was cut off by an earsplitting scream that took you a few seconds to realize where it came from: Jane. This time, she was not a girl but something else. She was intimidating, like a black panther about to pounce forward. Her dark robe clung to her like a second skin, her every motion, albeit barely perceptible, was smooth like water. She screamed at the top of her lungs, a sound so bloodcurdling you had to press your palms against your ears to save your hearing. She screamed, her body trembling with rage, the angry mess of hair covering most of her face. Her eyes veiled by it as Lesley joined her in her screams, buckling his body like a centipede being stepped on. His lips turned even paler than before, if that was even possible.

Like rubber, his limbs flailed helplessly as his groans of pain and anguish resounded within miles and miles of the forest. Inevitably, tears started to well up in your eyes. _Please, Jane_.

You didn’t like seeing her do things like these but, nonetheless, failed hard trying to take your eyes off of the show in front of you. Lesley was wreathing on the ground and starting to roll around in the mud, the corners of his mouth slowly tearing open like … porcelain. _Oh god_.

‘’Jane..’’, you whimpered. And Jane obliged, turning her head towards you once again. Lesley was still screaming and coiling on the ground but all was hushed. Instead, what was heating you up from the inside now were Jane’s eyes - not agony, not hatred, not rage. It was this small, frail flame dancing inside you, re-kindled, fueled, growing stronger than ever before, stronger than when you’d first looked into her eyes. The angry, garish darkness of her red eyes was like gasoline to your stumbling heart pumping blood through your veins.

Leyley’s screams died down but they had become background noise anyway. You kept staring at each other until Alec forced his sister’s eyes on him.

You didn’t focus anymore on what was happening in front of you. No, all you could think of was her. Her eyes, so proud of what she’d done to the man. So fierce. Cold as ice yet hot as molten lava. Her smell, from before. Her smell, like nothing you’d ever smelled in combination. Every fragrance otherworldly standing alone but together they were mingling into the most intoxicating aroma. _Hers_. Hers, still lingering in your nose.

‘’You know very well our father has nothing to do with it.’’ Alec’s voice snapped you out of it.

‘’All I know is that little Jane’s innocence was tainted that night. This last bit of purity lost without resistance.’’ Lesley’s coarse fingers were digging deep into the muddy ground, his voice raspy like sandpaper. Jane snapped, and Lesley screamed, again.

‘’Spare us, Lesley’’, Alec muttered, and then, after another quick billowing of black robes, he had decapitated Lesley’s chums, their heads dangling from his hands. You turned you head away in dread.

You tried to rationalize what was happening. The twins were veterans, not children. This was what they did.

And then, warmth started to radiate from somewhere around you. You turned you head and saw. The dead vampire’s bodies were burning like gasoline, flames dancing in Alec’s face.

‘’Be sure that we’re going to spill every last drop of your venom’’, Jane’s brother said soberly, his torn robe illuminated by the fire.

Jane’s face was veiled by her hair again, facing what was laying in front of her: that pathetic worm Lesley. She spoke, only one word, quiet, very unlike her. ‘’Alec.’’ Her brother’s name. It was all that it took to make you fall into numbness, blackness, emptiness. All was gone.

And then you came back to life, smelling, hearing, seeing. No fire. No vampires. You looked around. Cool air and dark, rocky walls surrounded you, drops of water occasionally falling down from the rough ceiling. There was a round, bright light at the end of this … tunnel? Your eyes slowly adjusted to the lack of light. It was a cave. Where were the twins? Where was Jane?

‘’How do you feel?’’, you heard a male voice ask you. Slowly emerging from outside, Alec closed the distance between you and him and you sat up from your lying position.

‘’I-I … uh …’’, your voice was a mere crack.

‘’It is not every day that you get to watch someone die, isn’t it? Let alone get slaughtered by the Volturi.’’ He was right.

‘’Mhm’’, you nodded. Your head raised, eyes darting around the cave. Where was Jane? _Hopefully gone, long gone_ , you thought. Yet some nagging feeling wanted to know where she’d gone. Maybe something had happened to her … no, no, this was not the place to think about that now. There was no _reason_ for you to do so.

‘’She went … away’’, Alec said and sat down next to you on a bigger rock. ‘’She needed some air.’’ It made sense. What Lesley had revealed about Jane was terrible. The most intimate, private secret, her tender spot, angrily exposed. A wound, not healed. Not just a scratch, no … an axe wound, festering for centuries. You understood.

‘’I-I …’’, you searched for words, ruffling your hair at Alec’s thoughtfulness. How he was talking to you now, almost like you were equal to him as a human. It was nice. Sadly it wouldn’t last long, you knew.

‘’She will come back, we need to give her time. It is not easy at all.’’

‘’Yeah, I … Alec …’’, you dared saying his name in his own presence for the first time ever, actually expecting hell to come … but nothing. He was looking at you, hands folded, waiting for you to speak. ‘’I … I’m sorry. I hope she’s going to be alright.’’ He didn’t answer but instead crooked a shy smile. You understood. You both would have to wait for her to return. There was no other way.

‘’What about the mission, Alec? Like … won’t we take too long? Won’t your enemies or whoever catch up with us?’’, you wondered out loud.

‘’Indeed it is a bit risky for us to stay longer than a few hours. But our powers never fail us, so don’t worry.’’ So you’d be here some more hours.

‘’I will collect some firewood. Try to stay here, will you?’’, he added, making you nod in return. Within a second, he was gone. And you were left behind with racing thoughts and tumbling emotions, trying to evict her from your mind. It was futile. She was everywhere, consuming your every bit of sanity left. Lesley’s words, Alec’s words, her silence. Not much later, thankfully, Alec returned with a few wet sticks and branches. You had no idea how he managed to make a fire with them but he succeeded, a small but cozy flame illuminating the dark cave walls, warming your body.

‘’Alec?’’, you’d figured this was the only time to ask what was on your mind, what was urging to get out.

‘’Mhm?’’

‘’Who was this man?’’ It took him a while to answer.

‘’He was someone from the village we were born in.’’

‘’Oh’’, you shuffled your feet.

‘’Wh …’’, you paused. Was this a good idea? Alec didn’t look up from the fire. _Fuck it_.

‘’Where were you born?’’ He raised his glance to look at you with curiosity only to lower it again, observing the dancing flames.

‘’My sister and I were born in a village that later was destroyed in the civil war. It was a small village, with only few people. We had a small church and a horseshoer. My father was a farmer, he was a good man. My mother took care of my sister and me. They took good care of us.’’ Alec’s face, illuminated by the fire, seemed soft.

‘’My mother was a good woman. And you have to know, my father didn’t touch Jane, not even once.’’ You believed him, the earnestness of his face leaving no room for doubt.

‘’So …’’, you bit your tongue.

‘’So?’’, Alec looked up at you. You hoped he’d catch on what you were trying to say, not wanting to say the words.

‘’I’m immortal, yes, but not a mind reader.’’ Both of you chuckled. You cleared your throat, as if to prepare for a speech.

‘’So what Lesley said wasn’t true?’’

‘’The part about our father, no. The other part, yes.’’ You nodded, staying silent for the time being, only adding a quiet thank you. He’d told you more about their, _her_ past than you’d expected him to do. Surely it wasn’t an easy past.

You observed the flames. There was silence. It wasn’t a heavy silence, no, it was comfortable, sitting next to an immortal warrior. Sitting next to Alec Volturi. Your eyes started closing but you fought hard to fend off sleep. Not here, not now.

‘’You see’’, Alec’s voice catapulted you back from your almost-slumber. ‘’I have never quite seen my sister like today. I know that this matter affects her greatly but she rarely let’s on on it.’’

‘’Hmm.’’

‘’Her distress … it’s not good, is it?’’, he looked you in the eyes. Was he seriously asking you of all people?

‘’No’’, you shook your head.

‘’Yeah … see, for our kind, it is very hard to move on from past experiences. Our brains are wired to function on faster, more complex levels. They are not wired to reprocess past trauma. We’re kind of stuck in time.’’

‘’I know … Carlisle used to tell me how you all work. It’s quite fascinating, honestly’’, you smiled lightly.

‘’It is?’’, Alec asked curiously, making you nod in return and smile at him even brighter. You started to like the nice with twin.

Your brows furrowed.

''Your pain is petrified, isn't it?'', you wondered and Alec just nodded, staring into the fire.

Before you could ask more, you were cut off by a figure emerging from the outside, her dark frame a stark contrast to the bright cave exit. You knew immediately who it was. Her svelte body and the pallor of her skin, it made you blush. You felt it. As she nimbly advanced towards you, the ripped fabric of her black robe danced around the slender ankles of her very muddy boots. Her full lips were a thin line, her sharp brows cranked and her red eyes only faced her brothers’. Being caught up in observing her you noted that her attire seemed even more ripped than before. Bits and pieces of wood and moss were caught in her disheveled hair that now was more the color of dirty sand than blonde.

She raised her voice and you heard it for the first time in what must have been hours.

‘’Brother, get the girl, they’re after us.’’ With that said, she had set off. Your eyes clung to Alec who grabbed you and followed his sister out in the woods, the lashing rain your steady companion.


End file.
